Some Nights
by EJonesy
Summary: Years ago while still a child, Raphael found and brought home his twin, his other half, and nothing was ever the same again. Now Stella is a fully grown woman and struggling to figure out just what it is that she's fighting for. Raphael/OC
1. Chapter 1

Crouching in the shadow of a decrepit warehouse in the shipping district of New York City wasn't ideal but it was familiar. Glancing to her right, Stella grinned crookedly at her other half as she prepared herself both mentally and physically for the fight she knew was about to take place.

"You ready?" He grunted low enough that only she could hear as they surveyed the large number of Purple Dragons quickly loading a large cache of stolen electronic equipment from a nearby warehouse into an unmarked semi nearby.

"Pft," she brushed off his concern with a huff. "I was born ready. Question is, can you keep up with me, Princess?" She taunted with a flutter of her long eyelashes in Raphael's direction.

He raised an eye ridge in response to her challenge and bristled slightly. "Loosa buys the beer?" He replied gruffly.

"Is there anything else worth fighting for?" She whispered back with a roll of her eyes. "Hope you brought cash sweetums," she taunted, "I'm feeling quite parched."

Rising up slowly from his position at the front of the line, Leonardo interrupted the whispered banter taking place behind him as he executed a number of quick arm movements that Stella was certain she had seen the Yankees third base coach use once.

"I don't know what that," Raphael hissed, while he flailed his arm around in an attempt to mimic Leo, "means."

Leonardo closed his eyes and took a deep breath, obviously frustrated by his team's inability to communicate with him telepathically. "Don, you stay with me. Mikey, you and the twins go around the back and stay hidden unless we need you. Don't engage unless you see my signal," he commanded staring down the trio at the back of the line.

"Why didn't he just say so?" Michelangelo asked in a confused whisper from the back of the group, giving voice to the exact feelings of the other three.

Stella theorized that the sheer number of specials on Special Forces units Leo had been watching lately probably had something to do with it. Too bad he had neglected to tell anyone else about his new method of communication.

Without a word, both Stella and Raphael grabbed a hold of the youngest turtle's carapace and dragged him behind the building in a perfectly timed, well-rehearsed movement while Leonardo sprinted around the corner, Donatello hot on his heels.

Silently, the trio crept around the back of the building, weapons held at the ready as they moved into position.

"So um, what's the signal again?" Michelangelo asked as they waited in the shadows, earning himself a disgusted glare from the other two.

"How's about you just follow us same way you always do and try to keep up. Aright Mikey?" Raphael hissed staying low and clutching his Sai tightly in his hands.

"Would you two shut up?" Stella demanded with a roll of her eyes as she watched the fighting began to escalate as more and more Purple Dragons flooded out from the warehouse. "Looks like Fearless is a bit overwhelmed. That's it," she declared unsheathing her dual Kama as she watched Donatello narrowly escape decapitation, "screw his signal. They're going to get themselves killed. Let's go," Stella directed. Without waiting for a response, she took off at a run, weapons glinting dangerously under the streetlights while she headed straight toward the fray.

As she ran there was no need for Stella to turn her head to determine the location of the other two. She knew from years of experience that Raph would be on her left side, close enough to touch, while Mikey would be following closely behind on her right. It was their favorite way to fight as they complemented one another perfectly. Her agility paired with Raphael's power and Michelangelo's speed made them a lethal force.

Like a choreographed dance, the three began to move through the hordes of Purple Dragons that were converging on Leonardo and Donatello's spinning forms, slicing their way smoothly through the masses toward the two embattled turtles.

"Looks like you need a little help, eh Fearless?" Raph taunted his older brother as he intercepted a lead pipe intended for the back of his brother's head.

"Seven!" Stella shouted over the noise of the battle as she took down another thug.

"Fuck!" Raph swore loudly and lunged forward. There was no way he was paying for beer, again. "Eight," he grunted a moment before he heard the count of nine being called out from his right side.

"Dudes, check it out," Mikey laughed as he spun his nunchucks dangerously, knocking out his closest opponent as well as the thug behind him, "a two-fer!"

"Focus Mikey," Leo commanded with a grunt as he knocked out his opponent with the hilt of his Katana before spinning around to intercept the newest attack.

Within minutes, the struggle was over, leaving the small group panting lightly as they surveyed the damage. Sprawled carelessly around them lay nearly a dozen unconscious Purple Dragons, the rest having fled the scene when their loss in the fight became undisputable.

"What'da you think they was afta?" Raphael asked as he wiped down his Sai.

Donatello poked his head out of one of the delivery truck the PDs had been loading with stolen goods. "It looks like quite the collection of computer components as well as some heavy duty scientific hardware. My guess is someone is planning on building something big and they're just the collection team."

"Cops are on their way," Stella informed the boys as she tucked her cell phone away. "Warehouse is clear. Looks like this was probably the last of whatever they're moving. Hopefully Donny can get a good track on one of the goons we let go."

"Well what're we waiting around her for? Let's get out of here dudes and dudette," Michelangelo suggested. "I can barely feel my toes and more importantly, I'm starving!"

Sheathing his swords, Leo nodded silently before leading the way to the nearest sewer grate and disappearing into the darkness.

"I don't know about you Raph, but I'm parched," Stella piped up from the back of the group reminding him of their earlier bet.

Raphael narrowed his eyes in response. "How many you'd get?" He demanded gruffly.

"Thirteen."

"Bullshit, no you didn't!" He shouted angrily.

"Did so," Stella shot back haughtily. She was certain he had only managed to take out twelve making her the winner which was a good thing since she hadn't brought any money.

"Didn't!" Raphael shot back.

"Uh actually Stella," Donatello interrupted, "no, you didn't."

Stella froze. "Are you saying I'm a liar?" She seethed as Raphael's face lit up with a victorious smirk.

Ignoring her ire, Donny shook his head, "No, only pointing out that you miscounted slightly. You actually took down fourteen. You probably forgot to count the one you took out with a backswing."

Raphael's smirk slid off his face in the blink of an eye leaving him looking comically bewildered while Stella beamed happily up at the brainy turtle. "Why thank you Donny. It's so sweet of you to keep track for me."

"It's no problem," Donatello shrugged before following Michelangelo into the sewer, leaving the other two behind.

"I still don't believe it," Raphael griped as he too descended into the darkness.

Stella shrugged above him. "Doesn't matter what you believe does it? Fact is I won so you pay, simple. Anyway don't act like it bothers you that much," she grinned down at him playfully. "It's not like I'm not going to split the beer with you. Besides, if it's any consolation, Leo only got eleven."

Raph looked back at her, a devilishly satisfied glint playing in his amber eyes. "He did?"

"Yeah," Stella chuckled. "Why do you think he was so quick to leave? Normally he would at least lecture us about behaving appropriately and taking our responsibilities more seriously."

"You know," Raph said thoughtfully as he stepped down from the ladder before putting out his arms so Stella could just jump down without having to climb, "ya ain't half bad kid." He placed her on the wet concrete. "Maybe I'll keep ya around after all." Stella just stuck out her tongue and led the way back toward their lair.

Once back in the lair, the twosome dashed into their respective rooms and changed into winter clothes before heading back toward the door.

"You two going back out?" Leo called out as Stella passed by his doorway.

Pausing for a moment, she popped her head inside the meticulously organized room. "Yeah, Raph lost a bet so we're heading topside for the night."

Leo nodded, marking his place in the book he was reading with a strip of cloth. "Are you planning on coming back tonight?"

Stella shook her head as she worked to tie her short brown hair back from her pale face. "I'm not and I'm pretty sure Raph'll just end up crashing at the apartment with me given the chance so don't expect him for practice in the morning."

Leo raised an eye ridge. "I take it you won't be joining us either?" He asked in a disapproving tone.

"Can't," Stella shrugged. "I've got a new shipment coming in first thing so I've got to be at the store to receive it and before you ask," she held up a hand to stop the questions she already knew were coming, "I already spoke to Daddy about it days ago so he's aware I won't be around tomorrow. Anyway, I'm planning to make Raph help me unload the crates and move some stuff around so don't worry about him getting out of a workout."

Leo smiled, probably remembering just how strenuous some of that work could be when Stella was in charge. "I'll hold you to it," he laughed. "Just, be careful up there."

"Always am," Stella replied before letting out a surprised shriek as she found herself tossed over Raphael's large leather clad shoulder and moving swiftly out the door and in the direction of the nearest liquor store.

"Alright now, cough it up," Stella demanded with a shiver as they stood in the shadows outside of the liquor store, their breaths coming out in puffy white clouds.

Raphael rolled his eyes but obligingly fished out the beer money and placed it in her waiting palm. "Now Stel, none of that girly shit Donny likes," he reminded her seriously.

Stella frowned slightly and griped at her chest. "It's like you don't know me at all," she pouted playfully.

"Yeah, yeah," Raph brushed her off. "You got your ID?" He asked as he visually inspected her for anything about her appearance that would set off red flags to the store clerk.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes Raph. You know, this isn't the first time I've ever bought beer I am aware of how this works. Can I go now? I'm freezin'."

"Don't know whatcha waitin' for. I sure as shit ain't stoppin' ya," he replied nonchalantly as he slipped further into the shadows.

Choosing not to argue, Stella spun on her heel and pushed open the door to the small store causing the small bell over the door to chime.

The young man behind the counter glanced up from his cell phone screen before doing a double take and tucking it into his back pocket. "Well lookie who it is," he grinned perking up immediately and unconsciously trying to fix his hair and generally straighten himself up. "Hey Stella, how's it goin'? Haven't seen you in here in a while," he remarked.

Stella waved in his direction. "Hey Jimmy!" she called as she strolled toward the back and grabbed a case of Raph's favorite beer before walking back to the front of the small store and placing it on the counter. "How's your dad?" She asked as Jimmy rang up her purchase.

"He's doing better. Chemo seems to be working, thanks for asking. How're things over your way?"

Stella shrugged noncommittally as she passed him the money. "Same shit different day. Got a new shipment coming in tomorrow, you should come check it out when you have some time off later this week," she suggested.

Jimmy handed back her change. "Yeah," he agreed before leaning on the counter, "then after maybe you and me could go out to dinner, like somewhere classy like in Manhattan or some shit," he suggested.

Stella smiled and shook her head, "You don't give up do you?"

"Not in this lifetime babe," he admitted with a grin before giving her his best puppy dog eyes. "Come on," he cajoled, "just one date? Let me take you out Stella. I'll be a perfect gentleman, I promise."

"Sorry Jimmy, answers still no," Stella laughed and grabbed the beer before heading toward the door. "Tell your dad hey for me and maybe I'll see you later this week."

"You can count on it! See you then!" Jimmy called back as the door swung shut behind her.

Stella couldn't hide the grin on her face as she walked back toward where Raph was waiting. Jimmy was a sweet kid but definitely not her type and although she had turned him down for dates for years it never stopped the guy from trying.

"Wha's got you beamin' like Mary fucking sunshine?" Raph asked as he fell in step beside her.

Stella shrugged her shoulders and handed him the case of beer to carry. "Nothin', just happy I guess."

"That little shit asked you out again didn' he?" He accused shooting an annoyed look back over his shoulder.

"Yeah, so what if he did?" Stella asked as she hurriedly crossed the street.

"You say yes?" he grumbled darkly.

Stella glanced skeptically at Raphael out of the corner of her eye. "What's it to you?" She asked suspiciously.

The large turtle scowled into the darkness. "I don't like it is all. You're too good for that guy Stel."

Stella rolled her eyes. "Jimmy's a nice guy," she defended, "and not that it's any of your business but no, I did not say yes. You happy?"

"Happier," Raphael admitted gruffly as they came to a stop in front of an old four story walk up, "but I'll be happier once I'm inside and drinkin' one of these here beers. Now, you gonna hurry up and open this door or am I gonna have to break this shit down?" He demanded. "I'm freezin' ta death out here. You know not all of us are warm blooded."

"Oh keep your shell on you big baby," Stella laughed as she fumbled with the lock on the ancient door. With a click the door was unlocked and with a push, a burst of warmth washed over the pair.

"Aaah, finally," Raph sighed as he pushed his way past Stella and began jogging up the narrow staircase toward the small apartment on the fourth floor.

"You're welcome," Stella called up the stairs toward his quickly disappearing backside as she closed the door behind her and locked the deadbolt.

When she finally made it up the several flights of stairs and through the doorway of the small apartment, she found Raph already sprawled out on the small sofa with a beer in one hand and the remote control in the other. His leather motorcycle jacket was thrown haphazardly onto the kitchen counter and his weapons lay discarded on the small dining room table.

"You're a real piece of work you know that?" Stella admonished as she snatched his coat off of the counter before hanging it on the ancient coat rack by the door.

The large turtle never looked away from the television screen as he flipped through the channels, searching for something to hold his interest. "Why'd ya say that?" He took a swig from his can of beer.

"Oh no reason," Stella muttered as she unzipped her own coat and placed it near his much larger one. "Just make yourself at home why don't ya?"

"Thanks," Raph let out a particularly large burp and slumped further into the couch, "I will."

"Charming," Stella remarked dryly as she kicked her boots off, "real fuckin' classy Raph."

Raphael shrugged before putting down the remote. "I got no one to impress. 'Sides, s'not like I don't live here part time anyway," he pointed out. "Hey while you're up, turn off the lights would ya Stel?" He asked. "That zombie flick ya wanted ta see is about to start."

"Oh crap this one's supposed to be particularly good. Super gory!" She gushed before flicking off the lights and hurrying toward the couch. "Think I should call Mikey and invite him over? He'll be a nightmare to live with if he finds out he missed this."

Raph considered it for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah. Maybe call and let him know it's on but I don't really feel like hanging with 'im right now. Here," he pulled up the tab on a fresh can of beer before offering it to Stella.

"Thanks," she sighed contentedly as she took her first sip and moaned. "Damn, this stuff is good."

"Yeah, yeah I'm a god at findin' good brews. Now hurry up and sit your warm blooded ass down. I'm cold and the movies starting." Raphael didn't wait for her to move. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her down onto the couch with him.

"Better?" she asked with a laugh as she pulled a throw off the back of the couch and draped it across them.

Raphael sighed contentedly as he pressed his face into the back of her neck and inhaled deeply before pulling her down further onto the couch until they were both laying comfortably. "Much."

"You know, I wonder what the others would say if they knew you were a closet snuggler?" Stella laughed earning a growl from the large turtle beside her. "I mean everyone would assume if it were anybody it'd be Mikey for sure. I mean, kid's got the whole adorable bit down pat but I'm bettin' no one'd pick you out as a cuddler. Hell, I'd bet there's people out there that'd pay good money for that kinda inside information…"

"This conversation got a point?" Raphael demanded as he shifted around nervously behind her.

"Not really," she admitted taking a long drink from her beer before putting it back on the side table, "just wanted to make you squirm."

"Why you littla'," he laughed, showing a side of himself that only Stella and to a lesser extent the rest of his family knew.

Suddenly, Stella found herself being assaulted by his large hands as he launched an all-out attack on her most ticklish areas. "Bet I know some people that'd be real interested to know just how ticklish you actually are," he taunted.

"You- you wouldn't," she gasped through her tears as she tried unsuccessfully to fend him off.

Raphael leaned forward slightly and pinned both of her hands above her head with just one of his. "Just try me doll," he whispered darkly, his lips brushing her ear lightly causing her to gasp slightly as a rush of heat flashed through her body causing her to flush.

"I- I hate you," she sputtered trying to recover before he could notice how flustered he had made her.

"Na you don't baby," he cooed, "you love me. Now," he released her hands and leaned back, giving Stella some room to breathe, "let's stop ta chatta an watch this shit while we get rip roaring drunk before we get called out to save some poor asshole again."

Stella reached up and grabbed her beer back. "Agreed. So drink every time we see some poor bastard get bitten?"

"You know any other way ta play?" He replied before taking a large swig as the first of many victims appeared on the screen.

By an hour into the movie, both Raphael and Stella were thoroughly trashed. "Oh you've gotta be shittin' me!" Raphael exclaimed loudly before slamming the rest of his beer as yet another victim met his bloody end at the hands of the hungry horde on the screen. "I need another beer. These poor stupid bastards jus' don't know how to run. Pass me one another would ya Stel?"

Stella swallowed her own beer before leaning over to grab one out of the box and falling off the couch in the process, much to Raphael's amusement. Struggling to right herself, she crawled over to the box and peered inside. "No can do compadre," she announced sadly before turning the box upside down and shaking it forlornly, "we's been cut off."

"What?" Raph grunted unhappily. "Lemme see. You just ain't lookin' hard enough." With as much grace as he could muster, Raphael struggled to rise to his feet only to find himself tangled up in the discarded blanket. He flailed his arms wildly for a moment before coming crashing down onto the floor, barely missing Stella.

With a groan, he rolled over, grabbed the empty beer box and shook it upside down over his head while peering skeptically inside. "There's gotta be more," he grumbled as he continued to stare unbelieving into the empty box.

Stella creased her forehead, trying to solve the dilemma. "Maybe there's sometin' in the fridge," she declared at last. Too quickly, she jumped to her feet only to find herself also caught up in the blanked still wrapped around Raphael's legs. With a small scream she came crashing down atop the downed turtle.

Raphael let out an audible, "Oof!" as she landed atop him.

Stunned, Stella lay still for a moment before she began struggling to untangle herself and climb off of Raphael. "I- ah, hum." She grunted as she tried and failed to untangle herself, flopping back down in defeat.

"Here, what if we," Raphael suggested as he flipped them over so that Stella now lay on the floor. "Now if I jus-." He tried to get up and failed. By rolling them over all he had really managed to do was wrap them up even worse than before. "Ah hell, I give up," he moaned as he dropped his head in defeat. "I've been beaten by a fuckin' fuzzy blanket. Remember me as I was Stel, not as the fuckin' mess I am now," he moaned dramatically.

Stella couldn't hold back the giggles at his dejected expression and ridiculous dramatization. "Wha's so funny?" He demanded with a glare. "I'm fuckin' dyin' here and you're laughin'." Raphael continued to glare for a few more seconds before he too started to chuckle and the pair dissolved into a fit of gut busting laughter.

"I can- I can't breathe," Stella choked out a few minutes later through the tears now streaming freely down her face.

Taking a deep breath, Raphael managed to get his own laughter under control and propped his weight up on his elbows. Opening his eyes, he cocked his head to the side as he surveyed the laughing woman currently pinned beneath him.

"You know Stel," he remarked thoughtfully as he began to play with a stray curl while she tried to control her giggles. "I've never told you this before but you're fuckin' gorgeous."

Stella's laughter died quite suddenly as she sucked in a surprised breath at his declaration. Eyes wide, she snapped her gaze up to meet his. "You're drunk," she accused him, her face heating up quickly.

"M'not," he defended indignantly. "Aight, maybe I am," he admitted, "but I'm bein' fuckin' serious right now. You're the prettiest fuckin' girl in the whole wide world and I lo-."

With a mighty shove, Stella managed to roll a startled Raph off of her and onto his back while she scrambled out of the tangle of blankets and jumped to her feet.

"Stel?" Raphael questioned confused as he struggled to rise up onto his knees.

"Gotta get to bed," she replied shortly as she bustled around. "There's a big shipment being delivered in the morning and I've got to be up receive it."

Raph furrowed his brow as he climbed back onto the couch and watched her dart off toward the small bedroom. "Uh, night?" he muttered after her retreating form.

Once inside the small bedroom, Stella quickly changed her clothes before throwing herself onto the bed. The small fourth floor apartment was anything but quiet. The muffled sound of city noises provided a backdrop to the rattling coming from the ancient radiator by the door and the movie in the next room, and while she knew it was impossible, Stella worried Raphael would hear her heart pounding over all these noises. She had no idea what had come over him and she wasn't sure what to do.

She had known for years that she was attracted to Raphael but never had she wanted to badly to act upon her feelings. Normally she brushed it aside and suppressed her emotions knowing he would never see her the same way but she was finding it harder and harder to do as time went by and it frightened her.

She had never once questioned whether he thought of her as anything other than his sister, his twin and therefore she had never let herself consider the possibility that he might- She clutched at her head and tried to clear her muddled thoughts.

He was drunk that was all it was, she assured herself. Raphael wasn't interested in her like that, he was just spouting off nonsense and everything would go back to the way it was in the morning once they had sobered up, she was sure of it. With that thought in mind she curled up under the blankets and allowed herself to drift off.

She was almost asleep when she felt the other side of the mattress dip as Raphael climbed into the large bed beside her as he was apt to do when they stayed the night at the apartment. "Raph?" She mumbled sleepily turning toward his bulky form outlined in the darkness.

"Ssh, sorry," he muttered lowly. "It's jus' me. Go back to sleep"

"Wha-,"

"Movie ended," he explained as he climbed under the mountain of blankets.

"Tay," Stella murmured as she slipped quickly back toward unconsciousness.

"Night Stel," Raphael whispered as he wrapped his arm protectively around her and closed his eyes. "Love you," he mumbled into her hair.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, a loud booming sound woke Raphael violently from his slumber. With a jolt, he found himself falling out of bed and landing in a pile of blankets on the floor. "Wa the fuck?" he groaned grabbing his pounding head and trying unsuccessfully to block out the weak winter sunlight streaming through the curtained bedroom windows.

Three floors below, Stella was struggling to help the two delivery drivers maneuver a number of large crates through the door of an already crowded shop. "Alright that's it," she directed, from her perch atop one of the other crates. "Okay, there's good."

With a grunt, the two large men dropped the crate to the floor and stepped back. Wiping the sweat from his brow, the younger man rolled his shoulders and surveyed the several large crates he and his partner had just finished moving before turning his gaze to toward the fit looking young woman standing alone in the middle of it all.

"You want some help unloading this lady?" he asked with a lecherous grin.

"Thanks, but no. I've got this handled," Stella assured him.

"You sure?" He pressed flexing his muscles none too inconspicuously. "There's nothing else I could help you out with?"

"Oh, I'm sure," Stella replied with a roll of her eyes as she hopped off her crate and began to usher both men out the door.

Not willing to give up quite so easily, the man fished a worn business card out of his wallet and pressed it into Stella's hand. "In case you change your mind," he winked. "That there's my private cell number, you can reach me anytime."

"Great," Stella replied sarcastically. " Well thanks for your help guys, you have a great holiday, k? Okay then, buh bye."

As soon as both men were finally out of the shop, Stella locked the door behind them and slumped against the wall in relief. It was far too early in the morning to be putting up with that kind of bullshit, especially after the night she had just had.

After a moment she straightened up and took a look around at the mess. It seemed like everywhere she looked there was a crate needing to be unpacked, inventoried, and put on display.

Picking her way back behind the counter, she grabbed the crowbar she kept for just this reason and headed for the nearest crate.

With a grunt she pried the lid from the long skinny crate to reveal what lay inside. After shifting aside a ridiculous number of backing peanuts, a hilt came into view. Laying aside the crowbar, she reached for the exposed hilt and excitedly withdrew a shiny new Wakizashi from the white mess.

Twisting it around with the expert hands of a weapons master, she immediately identified a number of flaws in its construction and after a quick visual inspection she found even more. With a disappointed sigh, she placed the sword back in the packing peanuts and resigned herself to having it picked up and shipped back to her distributor.

Lately she hadn't been happy with the quality of some of the merchandise she had been receiving and was really considering taking matters into her own hands as she was beginning to lose money having to ship so many items back overseas but she supposed, that was the price one paid for being the owner of a small, specialty weapons shop.

While she her brothers had certainly each achieved Master status in the art of Ninjutsu, Stella was the only one who had also gone on to become a Weapons Master though it was never something anyone had ever planned on her doing. It had been a child's curiosity that had led her down that path.

At the age of eleven, Leonardo had been given the dual Katana and as Stella and Raphael's eleventh birthday approached Stella had become antsy about what Master Splinter had in mind for her. Raphael already had his heart set on the Sai and although she would never say it aloud, Stella sincerely hoped that Master Splinter would not force her to fight with the traditional weapons of the Kunoichi such as the Tessen, a fighting fan. While she knew such weapons could be lethal, they were certainly not for her. Like Raphael, she preferred a much more, personal style of fighting that would be impossible with a weapon such as that though she had no idea what would suit her best.

It was for this reason that on one of her missions to the surface to buy groceries and other necessities, Stella had taken the initiative to find a local weapons shop specializing in the Japanese fighting arts so that she might see what other types of weapons were out there so while Raphael covered for her in her absence, Stella set out to explore her options.

Venturing up to the surface, Stella had quickly made her way toward the small shop listed in the phonebook. Pushing open the ancient wooden door she was greeted with the familiar scent of heavy incense that hung around her own home like a comforting blanket.

With a feeling of reverence, she had begun to explore the seemingly unmanned eclectic shop, stopping every few moments to examine an artifact more closely. In fact, as she admired the wares, she had become so engrossed in her perusal she didn't notice the presence of the elderly shopkeeper until he was right beside her.

"It's a beautiful weapon," he had remarked casually startling Stella so that without thinking she had whirled around and struck her customary defensive position.

The elderly shopkeeper's eyes had widened behind his glasses only a small fraction before a kind smile had graced his features. "I am sorry to have frightened you my child," he apologized with small bow of his head.

Having realized that this man meant her no harm, an abashed Stella straightened out and snapped to attention before she gave the elderly man an apologetic bow. "No, it is I who should apologize. I was too distracted by the beauty of your shop to pay attention to my surroundings and for that I am sorry."

"Of course child," he had responded kindly. "I quite understand. It is often that I also find myself lost in the beauty of some of my collection. Now tell me, how far into your Ninjutsu training have you gotten young one?"

Stella had been unable to stop her mouth from dropping open completely. She had no idea how the old man could have known she was learning Ninjutsu. "I- I," she had stuttered.

"It was your defensive stance that gave you away," he had explained as he stepped back and motioned for her to follow him deeper into the store as he told her of his own Ninjutsu experience.

Stella came to learn that Master Hatsumi, as she would eventually come to call him, had been a well-known practitioner of Ninjutsu in Japan before he had immigrated to the United States after his wife had died from cancer many years before and that he had been privately practicing the art in the small dojo above his store ever since.

At Master Hatsumi's request, Stella had returned to her father that evening after completing her errands and admitted to him her sneaking around before relating to him everything she had been told and presented him with a letter from Master Hatsumi. As it turned out, after speaking to Stella for some time, Master Hatsumi had sensed in her a true passion for Ninjutsu and was offering her a chance to train under him and become a weapons master provided he had her father's consent.

It was only after much begging and pleading along with weeks and weeks of correspondence between her father and the weapons master that Stella was finally given permission to begin her rigorous training regime.

Every day, she would wake up by five and train with her brothers before heading up to the surface to train with Master Hatsumi until three o'clock both by learning about the weapons found within the small store and practicing new and different katas in the small dojo with the weapons master after which she would return home. The rest of her afternoon was then spent on lessons in more traditional subjects such as reading and math and afterwards she was allowed free time to spend as she chose meaning she spent the remainder of her time before bed running around with Raphael and the rest of her brothers exploring the tunnels around their home and getting into various scrapes due to her adventurous nature.

After several months of training, the day that she and Raphael would receive their weapons arrived and Stella had woken up with a sense of trepidation. She knew exactly which weapon she wanted but was certain she would never be given. In most practices, Master Splinter had been having her spar with a Bo Staff which, although a useful weapon, was certainly not something she would choose for herself.

Stella was surprised when, after presenting Raphael with his coveted Sai, her father had passed over the Bo Staff as well as the Tessen and instead presented her with a box she had never seen before. With nervous anticipation, she had opened the box and revealed the exact pair of Kama she had been admiring in Master Hatsumi's store the very first time she had entered. While Stella had known that her father and Master Hatsumi had kept daily correspondence about her progress but she had never imagined they had also been talking about which weapon would suit her best.

During her years of training under Master Hatsumi, Stella learned to fight with many more weapons than just the Kama, even going so far as to master the use of both the Bo Staff and the Tessen but after almost thirteen years of weapons training, she still favored the dual Kama.

When Master Hatsumi had passed away the year Stella and Raphael had turned twenty, he had left her the deed to his shop as well as the building it was housed in, something that had proved invaluable. More than once, the old building with the small apartment overtop had played host to the entire clan as her family's sewer lair wasn't always the safest or warmest place to be.

With the Shredder finally defeated and the Foot Clan gone, the need for an alternate living space had greatly decreased over the past three years, leaving Stella as well as Raphael with an escape whenever they needed it. While she was not quite as hot headed as Raphael, Stella could certainly hold her own against any of her brothers and had been known to storm off after a fight on more than one occasion. It was during those times that the apartment over the old weapons shop had provided a safe haven for her to cool off in.

As time had passed, the small apartment had quickly become both her and Raphael's home away from home. While both still kept rooms in their family's lair, they had also been steadily moving more and more of their personal belongings into the apartment making it feel more like their home rather than just a temporary refuge for the whole family, something both restless spirits had been thankful for.

Although they loved their family fiercely, they both preferred one another's company over that of any of their other family members and disliked being apart for very long having never spent more than a few days away from one another. In fact, Stella couldn't remember much of her life before Raphael had found her. She had been only four years old after all when he had found her.

On particularly hot days during the summer months, Master Splinter had been known to take the turtles to Coney Island at night so that they could experience the seashore while all of the human beachgoers were banned from the beach.

One evening, while out playing with Leonardo, four year old Raphael had gotten upset with his older brother's bossy attitude and wandered off. He hadn't gotten very far before he heard sniffling coming from the other side of a nearby jetty. Thinking that perhaps one of his younger brothers had fallen and hurt themselves, he had rushed in to investigate and been quite shocked to find a little girl, no older than himself, crying alone amongst the rocks. Being only a small child, he hadn't spared a thought to the fact that he was a turtle and had walked right up to her and demanded to know why she was crying.

Little Stella had taken one look at the young turtle before she launched herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. She had been on her own for hours and was thankful to have been found, it didn't matter to her at all that she had been found by a small talking turtle child only that he had come looking for her.

Master Splinter had been quite surprised when little Raphael had shown up with little Stella in tow, clinging tightly to his hand and had asked quite earnestly if they could keep her, even going so far as to promise to share his room and all of his toys with her as long as she was allowed to stay.

At first, Splinter had been adamant about returning her to her parents but after getting the entire story from Stella it had quickly become apparent that Stella was an orphan in a bad situation. Stella's mother had overdosed six months prior, and as her mother had no known family and there had been no father listed on her birth certificate, she had been sent to live with a foster family.

Unfortunately, Stella hadn't been assigned any of the truly giving people who took in foster children out of love, instead she had been sent to live with a couple who had just been in it for the payout. Poor little Stella had a number of bruises both old and new from her new 'aunt and uncle' and had been left at the seashore that day because of 'bad behavior'.

Knowing that there was no way he could subject the child to any more abuse at the hands of her foster parents, Splinter had relented and brought Stella home with them that night to be raised alongside his sons in a loving and nurturing environment.

From the moment he found her, Raphael became Stella's constant companion. Perhaps it was because she had accepted him without question when the rest of the world would have shied away, or maybe she invoked an emotion within the young turtle didn't quite understand, it could even have been a feeling of overwhelming responsibility for being the one who had found her first. Whatever the reason for his fierce devotion, the two became inseparable, becoming known within the family as 'the twins'. Raphael even went so far as to change his birthday from the date of his mutation to Stella's in late April making him six months younger than Leonardo.

As they grew, they often got into sometimes dangerous scrapes due to their need to 'explore' the world but they always saw one another through, never abandoning the other in their time of need. Whenever one was sick or injured the other was always nearby, holding vigil until their twin was healthy again. They were each other's safety net no matter what.

It's not to say the two didn't fight. While they didn't argue as much as Raphael and Leonardo, when they did fight they raged against one another putting any other fights within the family to shame. Both possessed fiery personalities and short tempers, a dangerous combination when living in tight quarters but no matter how angry they got with one another, they always found it in themselves to forgive one another rather quickly and they never held a grudge against the other, something that couldn't necessarily be said for their siblings.

Upon being introduced to the family for the first time, Stella had been overjoyed to find out she had a new big brother and two little brothers. Leonardo had been polite but remained wary of the new kid while shy Donatello had hidden behind Master Splinter's legs and refused to go near the strange little human who clung so tightly to his grumpy older brother's hand. It was little Michelangelo, the baby of the bunch, who had bounced right up to his new big sister and wrapped her in a happy hug, welcoming her to the family with a huge smile and sloppy kiss on the cheek. Stella had immediately declared him to be the cutest thing she had ever seen and taken to him immediately.

As they grew, Mikey became a shadow to the twins, often tagging along whenever they embarked on their 'adventures' and insisting that he be allowed to do everything they did. While the younger turtle could get under both of their skin at times with his eternally cheery attitude and unhampered enthusiasm for life, Raphael still watched over him with a fierce protectiveness rivaling any mother bear while Stella was always there to pick him up whenever he fell and to teach him things the others had no time for.

This familiarity was one of the reasons the trio often fought together. Although they never said it aloud, it had been mutually agreed upon by both Raphael and Stella that they would die in battle before they ever allowed any serious harm to befall Michelangelo and secretly Michelangelo had vowed the same thing about each of them.

Over time, both Leonardo and Donatello had also come to love Stella as their sister, finding within her a worthy opponent. While not nearly as physically strong as any of her brothers because of her size, Stella was just as skilled as Leonardo in Ninjutsu and pushed him to work even harder, often sitting happily alongside Master Splinter and critiquing both Leo and Raphael's sparring techniques and allowing them to do the same for her.

She was also the only member of the family who could keep up with Donatello in their studies, although Leo tried his best. While she was not the mechanical genius he was, Raphael was a far better mechanic than she could ever hope to be, she was still able to keep up with Donny in all aspects of their education. When she wasn't training or off on an 'explore' with Raphael and Michelangelo, she was usually more than happy to debate with him for hours over books or ideas that the others found dull while Raphael worked happily alongside them on whatever mechanical device they had managed to scavenge.

As the children grew, Master Splinter came to regard Stella as the missing piece that held his motley family together. She was exactly what his sons had needed to bond them together and forage them into a true family and if he was honest, she had been exactly what he had needed as well.

While Splinter could never love one of his children more than another, he did have a particular soft spot for Stella. She was the only one who insisted on calling him Dad or Daddy behind his back and she was also the one who pushed him to become more than just the children's' caretaker and Sensei, she had pushed him to become their father, something she had desperately needed.

After prying open a number of crates and inspecting the new inventory, Stella's stomach gave a loud grumble, reminding her that it was time for breakfast. Hurrying upstairs, she was delighted when the smell of bacon hit her nose encouraging her to move faster.

"Tell me you saved me some," she begged as she pushed the apartment door open and strode toward the small kitchen where Raphael was busy flipping pancakes.

"Eh maybe," he grunted as he turned his attention to the bacon sizzling loudly in the pan, careful not to let it burn.

With a grin, Stella stepped into the kitchen and retrieved the butter and syrup as well as plates and cutlery. It was all she and Leo were ever allowed to do at meals beside the dishes as they were helpless in the kitchen, both more likely to set the toaster on fire than to make anything even remotely edible. So far their cooking repertoire consisted of cold sandwiches, cereal, and salad. Thankfully, everyone else in the family had ended up being decent cooks saving them all from starvation and grease fires.

As she set the table, Raphael plated up their breakfast and brought it over to the small table. "How's the head?" Stella asked smugly as she plucked a still hot piece of bacon from the plate in front of her and popped it into her mouth. She was rewarded with a glare as Raphael took a large bite of his butter smothered pancakes.

"You're not hung over are you?" He accused through his mouthful of pancake, pointing his fork at her.

"Not even a little," she smirked. "You're going to have to admit it one of these days Raphie. I'm just a better drinker than you are."

"Bullshit," he coughed. Stella just rolled her eyes as she helped herself to a stack of pancakes and proceeded to drench them in syrup before the two lapsed into a comfortable silence, too busy to consume their morning feast to argue about who could handle their alcohol better and Stella noted happily that the awkwardness of the night before seemed completely forgotten.

With a contented sigh, she pushed back from the table and began to gather the empty plates. "Ready?" she asked as she placed them in a sink full of sudsy warm water to soak.

"Ah, not today Stel," Raphael moaned as he too stood and began moving back toward the bedroom. "I was plannin' on catchin' up on my beauty rest."

"But Raphie," she pouted blocking his way and making sure to look as pathetic as possible, she was not pulling any punches today. "I really need your help today. Some of that stuff is really heavy and I'll hurt myself if I try to move it by alone."

Michelangelo wasn't the only one who could get their way by playing the pathetically adorable card. Stella knew she was more than capable of getting her way, especially with Raphael, by playing pathetic. Besides, she really did need his help, some of the stuff was truly too big for her to move around by herself.

"Stel," he grumbled unhappily as he looked longingly over her shoulder toward the bedroom. Stella narrowed her eyes for a moment seeing that she was about to lose her battle to her queen size mattress and decided to pull out the big guns.

"Please," she pleaded before dropping her shoulders in apparent defeat and sighing heavily. "Well, I guess I could call," she remarked idly as she fished the card the delivery guy from earlier had left her out of her back pocket, "Tony back to help. He seemed really willing to help me out with whatever I needed this morning." It was a dirty trick and Stella knew it but it worked like a charm. Raphael was so predictable.

"Who the fucks Tony?" he demanded with a growl, leaning forward to snatch the battered business card from her grasp and glaring at it menacingly.

Playing innocent, Stella shrugged and pulled out her cell phone from her back pocket. "He's just a really nice man who delivered the packages this morning. He said he'd help me out with whatever I needed. He even gave me his private cell phone number, see," she pointed to the number on the bottom of the card. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind coming back."

"I bet he wouldn't," Raphael grumbled darkly as he began to jog out the door and down the narrow stairs, all thoughts of beauty rest completely gone. "Like hell that bastards ever getting back through tha' door. Fuckin' punk. If I ever…" he mumbled darkly to himself as Stella trotted happily down the stairs behind him.

After several hours of hard work, Raphael and Stella finished unpacking the new merchandise and rearranging the small store to Stella's specifications.

Noticing a crate that hadn't been unpacked, Raphael began to move toward it before Stella jumped in front of him, blocking his path. "Not that one," she shook her head.

Raphael quirked an eye ridge but didn't argue. Honestly he was too tired to care what was in the small crate. "We done now?" He asked.

"We're done." She assured him.

"I can shower now?" He asked, already heading back toward the stairs.

"Yes," Stella responded as she followed him up the first two flights of stairs before stopping on the third floor and pulling out an old key and inserting it in a small door off to her left.

Raphael rolled his eyes. "You've got to be kiddin' me," he muttered with as he watched her push the door open and step into the small dojo.

"What?" She called from inside where she was stripping down to a tank top and shorts. "Unlike some people, I actually like to stretch before and after a workout. Rule number eighteen, limber up."

"If you and Mikey quote that movie to me one more fuckin' time I'm breaking the DVD," Raph threatened as he continued up the stairs toward a nice hot shower.


	3. Chapter 3

After finishing her stretches, Stella took the time to cool down before heading upstairs for her own shower. It wasn't long before she and Raphael locked up the apartment and headed out into the dreary winter weather which was quickly developing into one hell of a snow storm. They ended up arriving at the lair just as Mikey and Donatello were finishing putting dinner on the table.

"Thank god, I'm starvin'," Raph declared as he quickly removed his heavy winter gear and rushed into the small dining area. "The slave driver over there didn't let me eat lunch." He jerked his thumb accusingly over her shoulder as he pulled out his chair and snatched up a piece of pizza.

"Because we didn't eat breakfast until after eleven," Stella retorted as she too removed her heavy winter coat before striding toward the table and pressing a kiss to Splinter's furry cheek. "Hey Dad," she greeted before sitting down in her normal seat between Raphael and Michelangelo's hulking forms, making her look even more petite than usual.

"Stel kicked your shell again?" Mikey laughed knowingly as he too helped himself to a large slice of pizza and shoved almost half of it in his mouth with one bite.

"Yeah right, like she could take me," Raph laughed, earning him painful jab in the arm from the girl beside him. "Ow, woman! You have the world's sharpest elbows you know tha'? Geeze," he grumbled unhappily while the rest of his brothers chuckled at his misfortune.

"So Donny, any luck tracking those PD's from last night?" Stella asked between bites since she had manners.

The purple banded turtle swallowed his pizza before answering. "Actually, yeah. I've managed to track them to a warehouse complex in the Lower East Side. From the looks of it, something big is going on down there."

"So surveillance then?" She asked, glancing around the small table.

"Stel, the weather sucks," Raphael pointed out with a bit of a whine.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to guess that he was not eager to freeze to death sitting on some godforsaken rooftop watching thugs unload stolen computer equipment. While Stella knew he was hesitant to admit weakness, the extreme cold made it hard for him and the rest of her brothers to function for too long being coldblooded.

"S'not a problem," Stella shrugged knowing about how the cold affected her brothers. "I'll just call April and ask her to meet me. We can keep watch from her car, no problem." Taking out her cell phone, she quickly excused herself from the table and went to her room to call April.

Glancing around the table, Leonardo saw the pointedly unhappy looks of his brothers and shrugged. "You know I can't stop her," he reminded him. "Sensei?" He asked hoping his Master might step in and tell Stella it was too dangerous a mission to take on without backup.

"I see no reason why Stella and Miss O'Neil cannot perform this task," Splinter replied. "Unless of course, one of you feels that your sister is incapable of taking care of herself?"

Shoulders slumped in defeat, each of the turtles shook their heads. Not one of them, not even Raphael though he was most likely to try, could honestly argue that Stella was incapable of taking care of herself. She was an accomplished fighter and if anything she was more capable than any of them in situations like this. Being human certainly gave her an advantage none of them possessed as she could blend into the background of New York City much more easily than they could making her their default spy.

"Alright, I'm out," Stella announced a half hour later as she emerged from her small bedroom already dressed for the night ahead and clutching her black motorcycle jacket.

Whistling lowly, Michelangelo surveyed the outfit his older sister had just donned. "I thought you were going to watch PD's from the car, didn't know you were goin' out Stel."

Stella furrowed her brow before looking down at the small dress and heels she had donned before looking back up and smiling crookedly. "Oh I'm going to get some information alright," she assured him, "way more than if I just sat on top of a roof all night and tried to count how many Dragons go in and out of a building."

"Not like that you're not!" Raphael thundered as he jumped to his feet, Leonardo right behind him. "No way in hell you're going anywhere near those lowlifes dressed like that Stella," he declared glaring down at her.

Stella's eyes flashed dangerously as she stood her ground while the two large turtles bore down on her. "Oh no? Well who died and made you king?" she demanded angrily.

"Stella," Leonardo warned.

"Stay out of this Leo," Both Raphael and Stella snapped simultaneously, shooting their older brother looks that could melt stone.

Stella turned her attention back to the pissed off, red banded turtle in front of her. "You have no right to tell me what I can and can't do Raphael," she spat angrily putting her hands on her hips.

"Like hell I don't," he seethed clenching his large fists angrily.

"Oh really, and I suppose you think you're going to stop me?" She jabbed at him with her finger.

He swatted her finger away. "Don't push me Stella," he warned as he too refused to back down.

Sensing an oncoming storm that he was powerless to stop, Leonardo took a step back while he watched the two hotheads go toe to toe. To an outsider, watching Stella standing at only five foot four with her heels on provoking the much bigger, muscle bound turtle would seem like a death wish but Leo knew from experience that the small woman could hold her own against any of them, no matter what she was or wasn't wearing.

"Don't push me Stella," she mocked before turning on the ball of her foot and allowing her long brown hair to slap Raphael in the face, pissing him off even further as she began to stride away.

"Stella," he growled, grabbing for her arm.

"Rookie mistake," Donny whispered out the side of his mouth to Mikey as they watched the show."

"Ten bucks says she gives him a black eye," Michelangelo hissed.

"Hush now my sons," Master Splinter replied, never taking his eyes off of the drama unfolding across the room. "Twenty says she knocks him off his feet completely," he whispered earning grins from both his sons still seated at the table.

"Let go of me," Stella warned as she glared angrily down at the green hand currently gripping her elbow.

"Make me," Raphael growled in response.

Without a sound, Stella spun around and with a series of quick movements, not only freed herself from the large turtle's strong grip she also managed to knock him across the room and into a wall before she strode out the door without a look back.

Jumping up from his chair, Donatello hurried over to Raphael's crumpled form and surveyed the damage. "And he's out," he announced finally as Mikey groaned and got up from his chair to fetch twenty dollars from his room to pay his father.

After walking around for a bit to clear her head and shake off her fight with Raph, Stella headed for the garage where she and the guys kept their vehicles. Striding into the drafty building, she looked longingly toward her motorcycle before glaring at Raphael's own bike parked alongside it. Angrily, she stomped over toward her car, a little black Ford, and climbed inside.

Raphael had made fun of her when she had first brought the car home, teasing her for picking out such a worthless car but he had quickly eaten his words when it had proved invaluable on nights such as this. The point of the car was to blend, not to stand out like a girl in some fancy sports car would. There were so many cars just like it in the city that it was impossible for any of their enemies to immediately identify as one they saw more often than any other. Pushing the button to open the garage door, Stella drove out into the stormy night toward April's apartment in Greenwich Village.

After collecting the redhead who, at Stella's request, had also dressed the part of a girl ready for a night out, Stella began to expertly navigate her way through traffic towards the Lower East Side.

Along the way Stella took the opportunity to gripe about Raphael's overprotective behavior and how stupid males were, something about which April was quick to agree having been dating her vigilante boyfriend Casey Jones for years with no proposal in sight. After a decent complaining session, Stella laid out the night's plan. After asking just a few questions, April was quick to agree that it was fairly easy and pretty brilliant, if executed correctly.

Before too long, Stella locked in on her mark and with a deep breath and a reassuring smile in April's direction she stepped out of the small car and into the storm. With an air of confidence, she sauntered across the road toward a lone Purple Dragon who was doing a piss poor job of keeping watch as he tried to smoke a cigarette in the swirling snowstorm.

"Is she an idiot?" Raph hissed angrily from where he and Mikey were keeping watch from a nearby sewer grate. "No wait, let me rephrase. She's an idiot!" He muttered darkly as he watched Stella approach the thug leaning against the concrete wall smoking a cigarette. Smiling enticingly at the tatted up meathead before her, Stella approached him steadily while clutching her phone in her hand.

"Hey," the man grunted giving her a long once over, his eyes lingering in all of the places that made Stella want to wretch. "What're you doin' out here?" he asked as he snuffed out his cigarette and pushed off the wall. "Girl like you shouldn't be out here," he warned as he licked his lips hungrily.

Stella bit her lip and looked down before looking up at the large man through her long eyelashes, playing her part perfectly. "Actually I was hopin' you could help me and my girl out," she answered as she gestured toward where April sat in the nearby car. "We're supposed to go to this afterhours club, um" she looked down at her phone, "the Mar's Bar but we're a little lost. My fuckin' phone's directions suck. This snow is messin' with my fuckin' GPS and shit," she giggled, making sure the guy got a nice eyeful of her cleavage as she did so. "Think you could help a girl out?"

The thug licked his lips again and leaned forward, invading her space with his presence. "Oh, I know I can," he groaned into her ear as he pressed himself against her suggestively.

Although she wanted to vomit and scrub her skin with acid at that very moment, Stella gave another giggle instead and moved to the side playfully. "Well, then I guess you're just gonna have to come by for a drink then so you can warm up and I can thank you properly," she cooed flirtatiously giving him a suggestive smirk.

"You can count on it babe," the PD replied letting his hands settle on her hips for a moment before giving her directions to a different afterhours dive which was more often frequented by the Purple Dragons than the well know dive Stella had mentioned and promised to meet them there as soon as he was done taking care of business.

After giving him her number, just in case, Stella sauntered back to the car where April was waiting, making sure to give the PD a good show as she walked back. "See you soon Tino," she called out before closing her door and driving away.

Almost as soon as the door was closed, Stella's phone rang and she handed it to April. "It's Raph," she muttered without even looking at the screen. "Asshole followed me here and was watching from the sewer grate across the street. Answer it for me will ya? I don't want to break another phone."

Shaking her head in disbelief, April pushed the little green button and held the phone away from her ear as a fountain of colorful expletives flowed forth from the little phone like a broken fire hydrant. Rather than respond verbally, Stella simply stuck her tongue out at the phone like a child and continued to drive towards the bar.

"And you's had betta put that tongue back in ya fuckin' mouth Stella. Don' tink just because I ain't in da car wit you I don' know what you's doin' right now!" Raphael's voice shouted through the speakers his heavy Brooklyn accent becoming more and more apparent the angrier he got. "Ya had betta not be goin' to that fuckin' ba!" He continued to shout as Stella turned onto a street just around the corner from the dive and parked the car.

"April! April you had betta stop her before I drag her ass outta there!" He warned as the two women climbed out of the small car and stepped into the darkness.

Stella motioned for April to hand her the phone. "G'nite Raphie, sweet dreams. Give Mikey my love alright baby?" Stella simpered before blowing a kiss into the receiver, hitting the end button and putting the phone on silent.

"Oh wow, he's pissed," April laughed as she and Stella linked arms and strode toward the bar. She was more than confident that Stella would keep them safe. "Do you think it was such a good idea to push him like that? He seemed really worked up."

"No, not really," Stella admitted, "but he was way out of line earlier and he needs to learn to respect my judgment. I would never put you in needless danger and I'm more than capable of taking care of the both of us if anything should happen. Besides, it'll be a riot when he busts into the Mar's Bar and finds out it went out of business six months ago. I just wish I could be there to see it. What a goon," she chuckled as she pulled open the door of the dimly lit establishment and stepped inside.

As promised, the two women didn't have to wait long before Tino showed up. While he and Stella began drinking, April's job was simple. She was to remain sober and in constant contact with Donatello through her cell phone in case things went south while Stella would drink the unwitting Purple Dragon under the table, collect as much information as she could, and then invite him over to 'her place' for some more fun. They would not of course be going anywhere near her apartment but Tino didn't need to know that.

After a few hours of heavy drinking, Tino was primed and ready to go. Stella had gotten all of the information out of him that she needed and it was time to erase both April and herself from his memory.

While she distracted the thug, she gave the signal and watched as April slipped a small pill into the man's drink. Urging him to chug the last of his shot, Stella suggested that they take their little party elsewhere and April leaned forward and suggested silkily that they take it back to their place for a little, privacy.

Agreeing stupidly, Tino chugged his drink with gusto before slamming his glass down on the countertop and slinging an arm around both women's' waists stumbled drunkenly out into the night. Climbing unsteadily into the backseat of the small Ford next to Stella, Tino never knew what hit him.

After dropping Tino's unconscious form inside the doorway of a shady apartment building so he wouldn't freeze to death, the two women began the drive back toward the garage. Originally Stella had planned on crashing at April's apartment overnight but given the information they had managed to collect from Tino, it was imperative that she get back to the lair to share her information with Leonardo and Donatello as fast as possible.

"You sure you're going to be alright?" April asked as Stella unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed out of the passenger seat of the small car. April would be taking the car back to her apartment to change her clothes and collect the angry turtle, who would no doubt be wearing a hole in her living room floor, as well as the poor clown who was stuck with him, before coming back to the lair.

The smaller woman waved her off. "No worries April," she assured her friend. "It there's one thing I'm good at, it's holding my alcohol. Anyway, sorry in advance for Raph's attitude."

"Don't worry about it," April replied, "just get that information to the guys before it gets too late. I'll take care of Raph and Mikey."

With a mock salute, Stella turned on the ball of her foot and hurried toward the lift that would take her down into the sewer. Texting Donny as she went, she was not surprised when both he and Leo met her near the door.

"Are you okay Stella?" Leo asked as he reached out to help her over a patch of ice that had formed on the ground. "Mikey had us worried. He called to say they had lost you a few hours ago. If it wasn't for your texts to Donny we would have been out tearing up the city looking for you."

Accepting his helping hand, Stella jumped lithely over the ice patch. "I'm fine, went off without a hitch. Although," she admitted with a grimace, "I am desperately in need of a shower. I feel disgusting." She shivered slightly as she remembered the feel of Tino's sweaty hands on her bare legs.

"Of course but can wait until after you've given your report?" Donny suggested as he followed his older brother and sister back into the lair. "From what April said you were able to get some really good intel and I want to start working on it ASAP."

"Right, right," Stella agreed plopping down on the couch and removing her shoes to give her feet a rest before pulling a large blanket around her shoulders. "Well it turns out we were right, the party we busted up the other night was just moving the last of some equipment into that warehouse. Apparently Stockman is working on some sort of trans-dimensional transporter. Sounds to me like the guy has finally lost it but I wouldn't put anything past him. Security is going to be pretty tight. Stockman has the PD's and a number of hired guns working around the clock to keep this shit under wraps. They rotate every two hours on a staggered schedule so there's no chance of catching anyone napping. Also, they're patrolling in an overlapping pattern while wearing trackers so that if any of them disappear off their patrol for more than twenty seconds it sets of an immediate alarm and that's just the man power, I haven't even gotten to the security system he has in place yet."

Donatello whistled under his breath, "Wow Stella you got all this from one guy?" He asked impressed.

Stella just shrugged and pulled her feet up onto the couch to try and curl up into a tighter ball of warmth. "What can I say, I'm good at what I do," she joked cockily.

"Wha's that, hookin'?" Raphael's voice sneered cruelly from the doorway as a shocked Michelangelo and April froze in place behind him. "Did you have to spread your legs for that info or just get down on ya knees?"

Both Donatello and Leonardo spun around stunned and ready to defend their sister's honor but they were beaten to it by their Master. "Raphael!" the old rat snapped angrily as he stepped into the room from the kitchen where he had been listening to Stella's report while he made tea.

"Sorry Masta' Splinta'," Raphael grumbled not looking sorry at all.

"Forty flips my son," Splinter commanded. "Your sister gathered this information tonight at great personal risk both to herself and Miss O'Neil, and although I agree their methods were, unorthodox, I trust her judgment and know that she would not debase herself in such a way and expect you to do the same."

"But-," Raphael argued.

"Fifty, now begin," Splinter demanded.

With a glare toward Stella that promised a brutal fight in the future, the disgruntled turtle stomped off toward the dojo to begin his punishment.

"Please proceed my daughter," Splinter urged an ashen faced Stella as he placed a comforting paw upon her shoulder.

Never had Raphael spoken to her in such a way and it hurt to think he seemed to actually believed she would stoop so low to gather information. True, she had used her body to her advantage to do what she needed to do but never had she ever lowered herself to that level. She was probably the only frickin' twenty-three year old virgin female living in New York City for cryin' out loud.

Sucking in an uneasy breath, Stella focused on relaying the rest of her information about Stockman's security system to her brothers while keeping track of the steady count coming out of the dojo. She intended to be out of the room by the time Raphael finished his punishment as she wasn't sure she could control herself around him right now.

Stella managed to finish her report by the time Raphael reached his thirty-eighth flip and after giving a murmured excuse about needing to take a shower, she fled the room, desperate to wash the remnants of the night from her body and escape from the supportive yet pitying looks from the rest of her family.

Once she was safely under the pounding spray of the shower, Stella let all of her emotions come pouring out in a deluge of heated tears as she tried to scrub herself clean. No blade had ever managed to cut her quite as deeply as Raphael's words and she had no idea how to respond. With vigor she scrubbed at her skin until she was almost raw, trying her best to wash the vitriol of his words from her flesh.

Disliking the feeling of hurt and betrayal that threatened to overwhelm her, she eventually allowed her emotions to morph into anger. She would not stand for such treatment and she was ready to fight tooth and nail for Raphael's respect. Turning off the shower, she stepped into the steamy room and dried off with a fluffy towel before changing into the pair of more appropriate clothing she had heard April drop off just inside the door some time earlier.

Squaring her shoulders, she stepped out into the lair, ready to fight Raphael with everything she had but instead was startled to find it apparently empty. There were no sounds coming from any of the bedrooms or from the kitchen. Even the televisions in the living area had been turned off.

"Dad?" She called out uncertainly as she padded past the empty living room toward the dojo searching for some sign of life.

"We're in here Stella," April's muffled voice called from behind the decorative screen that separated the dojo from the rest of the living area.

Confused, Stella followed the sound of her friend's voice and found April and her father sharing a pot of tea. "The boys took- they went out for a run," she explained while scooting so Stella could sit down.

"I thought that now that it is quiet, perhaps it would be a good time to review the plans we had been discussing with Miss O'Neil," Master Splinter explained as Stella accepted the cup of tea he offered her.

"Oh, right," Stella bit her lip distractedly as she struggled to refocus her thoughts before turning to a puzzled looking April. "So um, basically I'm leaving or I'd like to anyway, but just for a while, not forever," she rushed to add seeing the look of dismay on April's face. The other woman remained silent but nodded and gestured for her to continue her explanation.

"Um so, some of the merchandise, or a lot actually," she admitted, "that I've been getting sent to the shop is really low quality and not anything that I feel comfortable selling so Dad and I have decided it's probably best if I go on my own scouting mission to find a new supplier. I'm wasting so much money having to ship faulty merchandise back overseas and all so it just makes sense for me to go find someone else."

April nodded along. "Makes sense," she agreed after a moment.

"Right, so you agree? It's a good idea?" Stella asked perking up hopefully.

She nodded her head. "Sure, if you're losing money it makes sense to switch suppliers." April furrowed her brow. "I'm just not sure why you're discussing this with me," she admitted after a moment.

Splinter spoke up. "I believe what my daughter is trying to do is ask you to run her shop for her in her absence," he explained while Stella nodded along. "We are aware that you are not as familiar with her wares as any of her brothers or I would be but as you know, it would not be an easy thing for a rat or a giant turtle to run a shop, even in New York City."

"I'd pay you of course," Stella chimed in clasping her hands in front of her and giving her friend the same pleading look she had used on Raphael less than twenty-four hours before. "Whatever you want just please say yes. I'll owe you forever!"

April couldn't help but laugh at her young friend's antics. "Alright, yes," she agreed earning smiles from both father and daughter. "With my own store closed indefinitely I could certainly use the money so I'll run the shop for as long as you're gone. I'm going to need some serious support though. I have almost no idea what you're selling in there these days."

"Oh no worries," Stella assured her as she hopped to her feet and hurried across the room before coming back with a large binder clutched to her chest. "Everything you need to know about anything and everything in the store is right here and if for some reason you can't find an answer in here, Dad and the guys are only a phone call away, they can answer any questions you have. Plus any new items that get sent your way will come with all the information you could ever need."

"Wow," April breathed as she flipped through the thorough workups Stella had taken the time to make up on literally every item in the store. "So uh, when are you leaving?" She asked finally, not missing the glance Stella exchanged with her father.

"Soon," Stella answered finally. "I got another bad shipment today and I'm not willing to do anymore business with this supplier but I need to talk to the guys first. After the last time one of us left…" she trailed off remembering how Leonardo had left them for training several years earlier and the fallout that had ensued. The last thing she wanted was for Raphael to take to the streets as the Night Watcher again. Shadowing him every night had been hell and this time that job would fall to poor Mikey. "I want to make sure they're okay with it."

"What about Raphael?" April asked addressing the elephant in the room."You know he's not going to like it."

"Well," Stella stalled as she remembered the disgusting and hurtful things he had said to her earlier, "I was originally planning on finding some way to bring him with me but now, I'm not so sure." She glared at the turtle in question's punching bag for a moment.

"Eh hem," Splinter interrupted her train of thought and brought her thoughts back to the present. "Perhaps it would be best if we left that decision for another day."

"Huh, oh right, of course," Stella agreed distractedly as her cell phone began to buzz, indicating she had a new message from Donatello. "Voicemail, that's weird," she mused as she pushed the voicemail button. "It never even rang, must be the storm messing up my service."

As she listened to the message, her facial expression morphed from one of puzzlement to one of frustration and anger in a split second. "Those idiots!" she shouted as she snapped the phone shut and jumped to her feet. Without another word she began rushing around the room, collecting an array of weapons and strapping them to her body.

"What is it my daughter?" Splinter asked with alarm as he and April also rose to their feet.

"They went in without me," Stella grunted as she grabbed her Yumi and strapped it onto her back along with her faithful dual Kama. "Apparently Donny got a reading about some sort of energy spike coming from that warehouse and they decided to go in to stop Stockman, tonight. He called over an hour ago to let me know what's going on but I'm just now getting his message because of this stupid storm. I need to get over there now, before they get themselves killed."

Splinter regarded his only daughter seriously before nodding his head in ascent. "I will go with you," he declared after a moment. "Miss O'Neil-"

"I'm coming too," April replied decisively as she strode over to the weapons rack and selected a Katana. "I'll call Casey on the way, maybe he can meet us there."

"Alright," Stella declared as she straightened up, "but you're going to have to drive April. I'm still not quite street legal." Tossing her keys to her friend, the trio raced toward the lift that would take them directly into the garage and the waiting van.


	4. Chapter 4

"Idiots!" Stella shouted again as she knocked her newest attacker backwards with a well-placed kick to his chest awhile later before spinning around to block the attack of yet another Purple Dragon.

Upon arriving at the warehouse complex, Splinter and the three humans had immediately found themselves besieged by hordes of angry Purple Dragons and hired guns. Apparently the turtles had stirred up a veritable hornet's nest by entering the facility.

"When I get my hands on them," Stella growled to herself under her breath as she vaulted over a low wall and scaled am unguarded fire escape leaving the other three to deal with the last of the outside guard. Moving as quickly as possible, she managed to knock open a window and gain access into the building.

If she had thought the scene outside was bad, the sight that met her upon entering the warehouse was much, much worse. Everywhere she looked, Stella saw death and devastating destruction. Her heart pounding, she began following the trail of carnage afraid of what she would find at the end. She had just turned the corner when she was knocked off her feet by an explosion that rocked the entire structure.

Opening her eyes moments later, Stella coughed and winced at the feeling of shrapnel embedded within her thigh. Swiftly taking off her belt, she fashioned a tourniquet to stem the bleeding before struggling to her feet.

Grimacing in pain, Stella continued on toward the source of the explosion knowing instinctively that her brothers would undoubtedly be wherever the explosion had just come from. As she continued deeper into the complex, the smoke became cloying and Stella soon found herself crawling along the floor over rubble and bodies, desperate for clean air. It had all almost become too much when her hand finally encountered a door at the end of the hall.

Steeling herself for what she might find, she pushed her way through the door and onto a balcony overlooking an open pit. Although the heat inside this room was awful, the smoke at least was much more dispersed in here. Squinting upward, Stella quickly determined it was probably because of the giant hole that had been blown in the ceiling. Whatever the reason, she was glad for it as she greedily sucked in lungful after lungful of breathable air for the first time in what felt like ages.

Dragging herself across the grated floor toward the ruined railing overlooking the levels below, she couldn't hold back the gasp that escaped her lips at the sight that met her. Two levels below, her brothers stood surrounded by flames looking relatively unharmed but that wasn't what had shocked her most. No, standing with her brothers were four female turtles. Well three were standing. One appeared to be injured or maybe unconscious. Whatever the reason, she was being currently being carried by a battered looking Raphael.

"We've got to get out of here!" Stella heard Donatello shout over the roar of the flames that were quickly licking up the side of the ruined building toward where she had collapsed. "Once these flames reach the power grid this whole place is going to blow!"

Turning her head, Stella saw what he was talking about and began to panic. There was no way she would be able to make it out of the building in time, not with the amount of blood she had lost.

"Mi- Mikey!" she called out as loudly as she could to the nearest turtle as the others rushed toward the exit.

"Guys wait," Michelangelo called out as he stopped dead in his tracks. "Did you hear that? It sounded like Stella."

"Ya probably hit your head Mikey. She's not here," Raphael retorted angrily as he shifted the unconscious female turtle in his arms. "Come on, ya heard Donny. This place is gonna blow. Now let's go."

"No," the smallest female turtle stopped alongside Michelangelo and looked around, "I heard it too."

"What eva'," Raphael yelled back over his shoulder, "you two get yourselves blown up! I'm gettin' outta here!"

Scanning the room and finding nothing, Michelangelo was about to discount the mystery voice and follow the rest of the turtles to safety when he felt something hit his face. "What the shell?" He muttered as he wiped his face, "Uh blood!"

"Gross," the female agreed before looking up, "but where is it coming from? Oh, up there!" She shouted pointing toward the balcony where Stella had collapsed.

"Stel!" Mikey shouted quickly jumping into action and scaling the metal scaffolding toward where his older sister lay nearly unconscious from blood loss and smoke inhalation. "Crap, crap, crap," he muttered as he surveyed the amount of blood surrounding her.

"Mikey?" Stella coughed through the dark haze that threatened to overwhelm her.

"You know her?" The female asked.

Carefully, Mikey gathered Stella's small form into his arms. "Yeah, she's my older sister," he explained before turning his attention back to Stella, "Come on, stay with me Stel," he urged.

The turtle female gave him a strange look but didn't comment. "Alright well let's get her out of here. Those flames aren't getting any smaller."

Moving swiftly, the two turtles jumped back down to the bottom level of the warehouse before rushing toward the exit while Stella struggled to remain calm as the shrapnel tore deeper into her flesh with every move Michelangelo made.

Unencumbered, the female ran ahead of them, clearing the way while Michelangelo struggled to keep up. They had almost made it out the door and into the fresh air when they felt themselves being lifted off their feet by the force of the explosion behind them.

Without a thought for his own safety, Michelangelo wrapped his body tightly around Stella as they were thrown across the large concrete shipping yard and slammed into the side of a nearby building rendering both the orange clad turtle and the woman in his arms instantly unconscious.

"Ugh," Stella groaned as the world around her came into focus so sharply that she turned her head and vomited immediately into a trashcan which seemed to have magically appeared just in time. Collapsing back onto her back, she was surprised to find herself laying not outside a burning warehouse but rather in her own bed. "What the hell?" She muttered as she struggled to sit up.

"Ssh, my daughter," Master Splinter urged as he pushed her gently back down onto the bed.

"Dad?" she wheezed, confused as squinted, looking around her room for some sign of the large turtle who always kept a close vigil by her bed whenever she was sick or injured and finding only her father smiling gently down at her.

"You'll need to stay still until your transfusion has finished," Splinter continued as he gestured toward the bag of blood currently hanging off an IV tower next to her bed. "You lost a large amount of blood between the explosion and when we pulled you and Michelangelo from amongst the rubble. You were very lucky," he explained gravely.

"Oh god! The explosion is everyone alright? Where's Mikey?" she demanded worried about the well-being of the younger brother who had saved her life.

"Michelangelo is fine," he assured her. "You'll find he has almost made a full recovery. In fact, Donatello has only just managed to send him away to fetch something to eat as he has refused to leave your side since you were brought in yesterday."

"Donny and Leo?" she pressed feeling quite sleepy all of a sudden.

"They're fine," her father reassured her. "Everyone is fine. Although you've kept Donatello quite busy, both he and Leonardo escaped the blast with only a few bumps and bruises. They've been quite busy seeing to the needs of our new guests."

"Oh right, the female turtles," she mumbled as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Rest now Stella," Splinter urged as he patted her head affectionately the way he had when she was a young child and had struggled to fall asleep.

"Wait," she protested feebly. "Where's Raphie?" she asked as she began to slip back into oblivion. "Is he alright?"

Splinter winced slightly, "Raphael is, unharmed," he assured her choosing not to answer her first question. "Come now Stella, sleep. We'll talk more when you wake again."

"I want Raphie Daddy," she mumbled as she sank back into the darkness.

When Stella woke again several hours later it was to the familiar snores of her little brother. Shifting slightly in her bed, she found him draped across her legs.

"He's been like that for hours," a voice remarked from the corner of the room.

Squinting slightly, Stella focused on the source of the voice and found herself face to face with the nameless female turtle who had helped her brother rescue her. "I'm sorry if I startled you," she apologized sweetly, "I was just coming in to check on Mikey. I'm Artemis," she offered stepping closer to the bed.

"Stella."

"Oh I know," Artemis gushed grinning widely. "Mikey has talked about you nonstop, I feel like I know you already!"

"Uh, that's great," Stella replied noncommittally as she visually scanned the room for some sign of the turtle she wished most to see.

"I can't wait until you're feeling better," Artemis continued to babble happily as she bounced gleefully from one foot to the other, "Mikey promised to show me your store and your apartment, it sounds completely awesome! I'm so jealous that he has a human sister. I mean I have sisters but none of them are human."

"Oh, um hum, right, human," Stella agreed absentmindedly.

"I'm sorry, are you missing something?" Artemis asked as she realized Stella wasn't nearly as into their conversation as she was.

"Oh what? No," Stella lied as she realized that Raphael was still conspicuously absent from her room. "I was just uh," she stalled trying to think of something to cover her lack of interest in the overly friendly female turtle who was frankly beginning to grate on her nerves a bit with her cheery attitude, "looking for something to drink. That's it," she nodded pleased with her excuse. "I was just hoping for something to drink. The smoke did a real number on my lungs." It wasn't actually a lie, she reasoned, her throat did feel quite raw from inhaling so much smoke and she was pretty thirsty.

"Oh right!" Artemis chirped as she bounced energetically toward the door. "I'll go get you something, be right back!" she promised cheerfully, "Don't go anywhere!"

"Don't worry, I won't," Stella replied with a smile that disappeared as soon as Artemis was out of sight. "Fucking nightmare I'm living in," she mumbled unhappily. Her throat hurt, the bandages around her leg felt itchy, and she wanted Raphael dammit, not some super cutesy female imitation of her little brother.

A few minutes later, Stella was relieved when it was Donatello who strode into her room with a glass of water rather than Artemis. "Oh thank fuck," Stella exclaimed as she reached for the proffered glass.

He laughed knowingly as he passed her the glass. "I thought Artemis might be a bit much for you right now seeing as how you're not much of a morning person." Stella rolled her eyes but didn't argue with the brainy turtle as she pressed the glass to her chapped lips and began to drink the cool liquid. "Slowly Stel," Donny reminded her as she sipped at the water, relishing the cooling sensation that coated her raw throat. As she continued slowly sipping on the water, she allowed Donatello to check her vitals and watched intently as he checked her bandages.

"So, what's the damage Doc?" She asked him finally as he began cleaning and redressing the nasty looking wound on her thigh.

"You mean other than smoke inhalation, a nasty concussion, and the gash on your leg that could have killed you?" he replied dryly. "Well other than those things you're fine. I managed to remove the shrapnel without too much trouble but you still needed a transfusion and twelve stitches. I also administered a full course of antibiotics, just to be safe. You should be up and moving around by tomorrow but no training for at least a month," he warned.

"A month?" Stella gasped horrified, there was no way she could just sit around for a month.

"Okay no heavy training for a month," he relented. "You can begin stretching and light weapons practice in two weeks, but no sparring! I mean it Stella! I'm going to be really pissed if you pop your stitches again."

Stella raised her hand in a three fingered salute, "Scouts honor."

Donatello snorted. "I happen to know for a fact that you were never a scout," he chuckled.

"S'not my fault," Stella pouted playfully as Leonardo knocked politely on her door before sticking his head inside.

"Stella," he said happily as he strode over to her bedside, stepping over Mikey's still sleeping form to come and stand by her head. "I heard you were awake. Master Splinter's on his way. Are you feeling better?"

She nodded. "Much, although I'd feel a lot better if Donny wasn't planning on making me sit out of training forever."

Leonardo raised his eye ridges in surprise before turning his attention toward his brainy younger brother. "Forever?" He asked sounding appalled at the very idea.

Donatello pursed his lips and shook his head. "Not forever, just for a few weeks, until the stitches come out," he explained.

Leo looked relieved "Oh well, that's alright then," he agreed.

"Ah Stella, I am glad to see you are awake again," Splinter greeted as he entered the room. Donatello moved toward the end of the bed so that his father could stand by his sister's head. "How are you feeling my child?"

"I've felt better," Stella joked with a wry smile. "My throat is sore and my stiches itch but Donny says I'll live."

Splinter rewarded her with a small smile. "Thank heavens for that child. Well I should return to our guests, I'm sure you have some questions for your brothers as they have much to tell you," he said cryptically before leaning down to place a small kiss on her forehead before leaving the room once again.

After their father was gone, Stella turned her gaze expectantly toward her brothers and waited for them to begin speaking. Leo opened his mouth to begin when he was interrupted by a loud snore. "Oh for the love of Pete," he mumbled. "Mikey. Mikey," he hissed as he gently kicked the sleeping form of his youngest brother.

"Wha, what is it? " Mikey asked sleepily. "Is it Stella? Is she okay?"

"I'm fine Mikey," Stella assured him.

"Stella!" he exclaimed, jumping up and throwing his arms around his older sister happily. "I'm so glad you're awake, I was like, totally worried about you."

"Thanks Mikey," she replied as she hugged him back, "I owe you one. You really saved my butt back there. You were awesome, like a superhero or something." Michelangelo blushed at the compliment and managed to look humble.

"You know," Leonardo interrupted in what Stella always called his 'big brother voice', "normally I would take this opportunity to tell you how stupid it was for you to go busting into that warehouse on your own but I think I'll save the lecture for another time."

"Why Fearless, that's so gracious of you," Stella snarked earning chuckles from both Donny and Mikey. "Anyway, who's Artemis and what the hell is going on around here?"

"Language," Leonardo remarked automatically causing his siblings to roll their eyes. He had to remind Stella and Raphael to watch their language so often that he had begun sounding like a bad recording.

"Artemis is actually one of four female turtles who came through the trans-dimensional transporter the other night," Donatello explained. "She and her sisters were pulled through into our dimension when Mikey messed up Stockman's calculations. We're still not sure what he was actually after but you can bet it wasn't them."

Stella furrowed her brow in confusion. "So they're from a dimension full of, female turtles?" She asked skeptically.

"Uh no," Leonardo rubbed the back of his head, "it's just them. It seems that they're actually, us, kind of, well kind of like our female counterparts anyway," he explained awkwardly. "Everyone there is sort of the opposite of themselves here."

Stella just stared at him for a moment before looking toward the door and back to her brothers several times as she tried to process this unexpected information. "So you're telling me that the chick who was just in here is the female version of one of you?" She was quiet for a moment. "She's Mikey isn't she? You all let me wake up to a girly version of Mikey bopping around my bed. Do you hate me?" She whined dramatically earning a small indignant protest from Michelangelo before she fixed him with a knowing look and he shrugged sheepishly.

"Alright, fair enough," he allowed. "But you have to admit that at least I know to tone it down when you've just woken up. I'm sure Artemis was just really excited to meet you. She's been waiting around just to talk to you. She couldn't believe it when I told her we actually have a human sister."

"Why is that so weird? Doesn't she have a human brother?" Stella reasoned. "I mean if everyone is just flipped shouldn't there be a guy version of me somewhere?"

The three turtles exchanged a meaningful look. "That's actually the weirdest thing," Donatello answered finally, "I mean other than them being the girl versions of us. They seem to have their own April, even female versions of Master Splinter and Casey but they uh, they don't seem to have anyone in their lives even remotely like you."

"Not even remotely like," Stella sputtered indignantly as she struggled to process this mind blowing information. "What the hell? Alright that's it, I'm calling bullshit! This is nonsense!" She threw her arms into the air. "How can they not have a me? I'm awesome! They have to have one of me, I'm like, important. I mean where do they get their weapons, and their groceries? And who is their Raph's twin? Huh?" She demanded looking at her brother's stunned expressions. "And speaking of Raph, where the hell is he? Why isn't he here standing vigil by my sickbed? Where the fuck am I? What the fuck is going on?"

"Dudes," Michelangelo muttered looking slightly frightened and taking a step back.

"Stella, Stella, you need to calm down. Your blood pressure is getting too high," Leonardo urged looking slightly panicked himself. "Raph is, well he's occupied."

"He's occupied." Stella snorted disbelievingly. "Well you had better tell him to get unoccupied real fuckin' quick because this is bullshit and I want answers!" She shouted angrily as she began throwing her blankets off, fully intending on climbing out of bed and getting answers herself if need be. "I want Raphael and I want him now!"

"Donny, do something," Leo muttered between clenched teeth as he watched Stella becoming more agitated as she struggled to remove her IV.

"I'm on it," Donny sighed unhappily, pulling out a small needle, "On the count of three guys one, two, three."

On three, Mikey and Leonardo jumped in to restrain Stella who began to thrash against them as she continued to demand to see Raphael while Donatello injected her with a mild sedative.

"What the hell?" She snarled angrily at her brothers who continued to pin her to the bed as the sedative took hold.

Donny and Mikey refused to meet her gaze but Leonardo managed to look contrite. "We couldn't have you tearing your stitches," he explained. "You need to calm down Stella. We'll talk more when you wake up."

"Yeah well fuck you too Leo," Stella mumbled as she slipped unwillingly back into unconsciousness.

For the next few days every time Stella woke up she ended up being sedated soon after as she just seemed to wake up even angrier than each time previous. Every time she demanded Raphael's presence to no avail. It was only after the fourth time she had been forcibly sedated that she woke up with only her father in the room who, as far as she was concerned, was the only family member she had left who hadn't completely betrayed her.

"Stella," Splinter coaxed as he watched her eyes flutter open.

At the sound of her father's tired voice Stella felt her anger drain out of her leaving only the unimaginable feeling of hurt behind. "Dad," Stella pleaded turning her expressive brown eyes to him. "Why don't they have one of me?" she asked in a small, strangled voice.

"My daughter," Splinter replied with a shake of his head as he gathered her into a reassuring hug as she began to tremble in his arms.

It was then that Stella allowed herself to cry. She cried because it was obvious to her that she was a mistake, she had obviously never been meant to be a part of the only real family she had ever know. She cried over being left behind because she knew without ever having stepped out of her room that her brothers had found their matches and she had been replaced as the most important female in their lives. And she cried hardest of all because no matter how many times she had pleaded, how loudly or how forcefully she had demanded him, Raphael had never come when she needed him most and oddly, she found that that hurt most of all.

"Hush now my child," Splinter urged as he rocked her gently. "It will be all right," he assured her.

"I- I'd like to go now," Stella mumbled into his shoulder after she had run out of tears.

"Of course," Splinter agreed, "I'm sure it would be best for you to get up and moving again as soon as-"

Stella shook her head. "No Dad. I mean I want to go. I need to leave to clear my head, to figure out just what I'm fighting for. I want to go on my trip, now. I- I think it would be good for me, for everyone, if I leave for a while. Please Daddy."

Splinter regarded her quietly for a few minutes before slowly nodding his head in agreement. "Yes, yes I think that might be best. You may go as soon as you are fit enough to walk. I'll see if Miss O'Neil is willing to help you get moving before booking your flight and taking you to the airport."

"Thank you Daddy," she replied with a hug.

April arrived later that day to help Stella get up on her crutches and begin moving around her room. She had already packed her a bag full of necessities and had even taken it upon herself to book her a last minute flight to Japan for early the next morning.

After bidding April good night, Stella had paced uneasily back and forth in her small room until she heard the last of the lair's occupants head to bed. She hadn't been out of her room since before the battle and while she was leaving the next day, she wasn't eager to encounter any of her brothers or the girls who's names she still didn't know, having not actually spoken to anyone other than her father and April since she had been forcibly sedated the first time.

Venturing warily out her door, Stella made her way carefully toward the dojo where she planned to leave the letters she had written her brothers for them to find in the morning, after she had already left.

She was surprised when she heard a familiar voice coming from inside the dojo and suddenly the reason for Raphael's absence became clear.

"Tha's great Atty," Raphael's voice rumbled deeply from inside. "You're a real natural with those Kama. You sure you never done this before?" He chuckled.

"Raphie," a new voice scolded, giggling playfully. "You know I haven't."

"Well you's a natural babe," Raphael replied, using the same husky tone of voice Stella remembered him using the last time they had gotten drunk together, the night he had told her she was beautiful.

Suddenly feeling sick and not wanting to hear anymore, Stella quickly dropped her letters on the kitchen table before turning back around and snatching one of the letters back and stuffing it into her pocket. Then, with as much grace as she could muster on her crutches, she headed back into her room and gathered up her things.

She'd be damned if she was going to spend another minute in this prison. She decided she would just take a cab to the airport and wait around for her flight rather than wait for April.

Shouldering the small bag April had packed for her, Stella walked out the front door and into the night without a glance back toward the husky laughter that followed her into the darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

As she wandered through the small Moroccan market scanning the stalls with a keen eye, Stella filled her basket with fresh fruit and an array of exotic spices. Keeping a constant eye on her surroundings, she was surprised when a she saw a flash of red hair out of her peripheral vision.

Pulling her headscarf tighter, she abandoned her day's shopping for a time while she investigated further. Seeing someone who clearly wasn't a local was an unusual occurrence in this market and tended to draw everyone's attention, one of the reasons Stella had selected it for practice.

Working her way through the crowded stalls, she tracked the interloper's progress easily simply by following the trail of gossip that was left in their wake. Stopping to purchase a small measure of olive oil, she scanned the nearby area while the merchant filled her order and caught yet another flash of red nearby. Moving closer, she found herself almost face to face with one Miss April O'Neil.

"April?" Stella whispered in shock, grabbing the attention of the woman beside her.

Startled, the older woman snapped her head around, looking for the source of the familiar voice but found no one she knew. Shrugging it off as a strange coincidence, she continued her shopping, never noticing the small slip of paper that soon found its way into her basket.

As the sun set over the horizon, Stella waited near the city limits for April to show herself. After leaving the market she had done some investigating and discovered that her friend had been hired by some private benefactor to retrieve a shipment of ancient artifacts from Figuig for a personal collection.

Her source had also assured her that April was traveling alone but rather than take any chances, Stella remained concealed until she could be certain that her information was in fact correct.

Just after nightfall, she was rewarded for her patience when she observed, the redhead striding warily toward the meeting place that had been indicated on the slip of paper left within her basket that morning. After noting that her information was indeed correct, that April was traveling alone and carrying some sort of concealed weapon, Stella stepped into the light and removed her headscarf.

Upon seeing the petite brunette appear out of the shadows on the outskirts of the Moroccan desert, April's eyes widened comically before she dropped her hand from the weapon at her side and stepped forward.

"Stella?" she gasped in shock as she stared at the woman standing before her as though she had just seen a ghost. Stella simply gave a small shrug and nodded her head slightly in response.

"Holy crap," April breathed before rushing forward and enveloping the smaller woman in a tight hug. "Oh my god Stella!" she exclaimed again, before taking a small step back and examining her. "I never would have- you were in the market weren't you? How did I miss you? Where have you been? What are you-when- I," April stumbled over her words as Stella bit her lip and winced slightly at the vast number of questions she was sure to be asked. "Explain," April finally demanded as she led Stella toward a low stone wall and took a seat.

Choosing to stand instead, Stella began to pace uneasily. "So um, I'm not sure where you want me to begin actually," she admitted with wry smile.

"Well you can start by telling me where you've been all this time!" April exclaimed indignantly. "When I went to pick you up for your flight I found the lair in a state of uproar with no more than a few letters and a voicemail left behind. Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

Stella stopped pacing and gazed down at her feet for a moment before turning her steely gaze toward the upset woman in front of her. "I am sorry," she said calmly, "I didn't mean for you to worry but like I said in my letters, I needed to leave so," she shrugged, "I did. We had obviously spoken about it before I left" she pointed out. "You were going to take me to the airport that morning, I just took an earlier flight. Some things changed and I needed to get out of there sooner rather than later."

April took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment to try and collect her thoughts. "Okay," she said finally, "I get that. I didn't think you would leave like that but things were, less than ideal, I know that, but when we talked I thought you would be gone a month, maybe two at most but Stella, it's been almost a year! What the hell have you been doing?"

Stella shrugged and turned her gaze outward toward the expansive desert stretching out beyond the city limits. "Living," she replied finally as she considered the events of the past few months. "I spent the first few months in Japan, finding a new weapons supplier for the store. You have been getting better shipments haven't you?" She asked.

"Yes," April responded slowly.

"Great well that's good," Stella replied absentmindedly. "Uh anyway, I spent the first few months traveling through Japan, you know, finding a new supplier and all that but when it came time go back to New York I just, couldn't."

"Couldn't?" April pressed, concern lacing her voice. "Stella if you're in some kind of trouble-."

Stella waved her off. "No, I'm not in any trouble," she reassured her. "I just had no desire to go back, not to that. The way things were- I'm not sure you would understand but I just needed to figure things out, to find some sort of purpose, to make myself-" she paused for a few seconds as she searched for the right word, "better."

April furrowed her brow in confusion. "Better? Better at what?"

Stella began to pace back and forth while she chewed on her thumbnail, a nervous habit she had acquired as of late. "Better at everything I guess." She replied as she continued to pace. "I've been training, working on my-my skills. I've been learning new ways of fighting, how to use new weapons and how to blend in by doing more than just hiding in the shadows or simply being human. I've learned to adapt."

"So- you're coming home soon then. Right? I mean now that you've accomplished what you've come here to do."

"Oh I haven't accomplished anything," she argued, "I'm nowhere near ready. There's so much out here."

"But what about the guys?" April pressed. "What about Master Splinter?"

"My father knows where I am," Stella argued back. "I speak to him every week."

April appeared taken aback at this information. "You do?" she asked surprised.

"Haven't you ever thought to ask him if he's heard from me?" Stella asked.

"Well, no," she admitted. "I worried that it might upset him. I mean anytime you're mentioned he reassures everyone that you're fine but I can tell he's upset that you haven't returned. I just assumed that he was just trying to remain positive."

"I see," Stella frowned. "So you just assumed I had abandoned my responsibilities completely? That I had gone back on the promises I had made to my father?"

"Stel, honestly, I didn't know what to think," April argued. "Heck, I still don't. Until just a few minutes ago all I've known about you leaving has come from one conversation, a short voicemail, and three of the letters you left. I haven't even read the fourth one."

"That's probably because I only left three letters," Stella interrupted lowly.

April raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You mean you didn't leave one for-"

"No," Stella snapped before April could finish her question. "I didn't."

"Is that what this is about? Are you out here because of him? You know he-"

"Just drop it April," Stella warned, her eyes flashing dangerously. "I don't want to talk about him."

"But-"

"Don't push it April," she growled in warning. "I didn't come out here to discuss that with you."

"Alright well, your brothers miss you. Your letters and the way you left came as a shock and they were upset for a while but I know for a fact that they want you back. They need you."

"Really?" Stella asked, already knowing the answer. "So they've been looking for me then, trying to make that happen? To bring me home?"

Scuffing her boots on the dirt the older woman didn't reply immediately. "Well, no, not really," April admitted hesitantly. "I mean, Leo feels like he can't say anything without becoming a hypocrite since he left for so long when he went to South America but well I know Donny tried to get a lock on your location a few times after you first left..." she trailed off for a moment. "Mikey is really worried about you. At first he went on and on about how jealous he was that you were off adventuring without him but after he didn't hear from you after a few weeks-"

"He got distracted and stopped talking about me didn't he?"

April chose not to answer. "They may not say it aloud but they need you Stella. We all do, especially Ra-."

"They don't!" Stella shouted suddenly. "It they needed me they would have found me. Hell, if they needed me they would have actually tried looking for me but they didn't, not really, did they?" She demanded. "No they didn't. Maybe Donatello made a half-hearted attempt to triangulate my cell phone signal because he felt like he should but when that didn't pan out they gave up and moved on with their lives didn't they? Of course they did. And you know why? Because they don't really need me, they never did, especially not now. I'm just a weird accessory they weren't even meant to have."

"Stel!" April protested, aghast at what she was hearing.

"I'm sorry April, I really am but I'm not going back, not right now anyway. I mean eventually, someday I'm sure I will, for my father's sake, but not until I'm ready."

"But-"

"Look, I appreciate everything you've done, looking after the store for me while I've been gone and I'm sorry you've had to do it for longer than you thought. If you'd like I'll speak to my father about finding someone to take over on a more permanent basis alright, just let him know and I'll make some arrangements."

"Stella," April pleaded stepping forward, her hand outstretched in a peace offering.

"It was good seeing you again April. Take care of yourself okay. Stay on the main road on the way back to your hotel, this city is like a labyrinth. I don't want you getting lost in the dark."

"You're leaving?" April sputtered with disbelief as she watched Stella pull her headscarf back up to cover her long brown curls. "Now? But I've only just found you."

"I am," Stella replied simply. "Besides, you weren't meant to find me and I have some things I have to take care of."

"Alright, well when can we talk more? Are you free in the morning? I'm here for at least another week," April pressed. "We could meet for breakfast, my treat."

Stella shook her head. "I'll be gone by then. Look, do me one more solid and take the wooden box in your room back for Mikey would you? And for the love of god, put some sunscreen on woman. You're going to burn like a crisp out here."

"So that's it then?" April snapped before she realized she was suddenly standing alone on the outskirts of the ancient city. "Really, you're just going to disappear on me again?" She shouted angrily into the darkness but her cries went unanswered. "Are you kidding me? Stella, get back here! I know you can hear me! Stella! God dammit, Stella!" She screamed into the empty night.


	6. Chapter 6

As the windshield wipers on the old Jeep worked double time, Stella squinted through the deluge, concentrating on the road before her. She was not happy to be out right before the hurricane but there was no help for it. Hers had been the last flight to touch down before the airport had closed down in anticipation of the coming storm, leaving her at the mercy of Mother Nature and baggage claim. It was why she now found herself rushing to move inland before the storm made landfall.

She was well past the outskirts of town, on the way to her small house, when a flash of lightning lit up the night and briefly illuminated the landscape. On either side of the road, trees bent nearly in half from the wind. Suddenly an earsplitting crack drowned out the howling of the wind outside before the largest gust of wind yet hit. As she fought for control, the old two story barn which marked the entrance to her driveway, collapsed under the strain, flinging large portions of the structure flying toward her car.

"Holy shit!" She screamed and slammed on the brakes as something large smashed heavily into the front of the Jeep before falling onto the road. "What the hell?" She gasped, clutching at her chest. Normally she was not easily startled but these were certainly not normal circumstances.

"Crap, crap, crap," she muttered as she searched through the glove compartment for a flashlight. Steeling herself for feel of the stinging rain, Stella set her shoulders before struggling to open the door. With a grunt she managed to push it open and nearly fell out of the vehicle and onto the flooded roadway.

Leaning heavily against the wind, Stella crept around the front of the Jeep, assessing the damage and trying to figure out what she had hit. "What the heck?" She muttered as she leaned over, examining a large mass of green near her wheel. Peering closer, she reached out and removed a large palm frond only to reveal, an arm?

"No fucking way," she muttered, narrowing her eyes as she began furiously digging through the mess. "This is not happening to me right now." Pulling more and more foliage as well as a fair amount of what appeared to have once been the upper floor of the old building away, she paused for a moment to shine her flashlight onto the newly exposed body now laying unconscious in the road.

"Fucking turtle," she spat as another flash of lightning split the sky and the wind once again picked up noticeably. The storm was moving quickly and she needed to get somewhere secure before all hell broke loose.

Part of her was tempted just to leave the large reptile where he had fallen but no matter how angry she was she wasn't inhumane, she knew she's have to take him home with her, at least until the storm was over.

Closing her eyes, she expertly felt for a pulse while she turned her face upward into the storm and prayed silently that she had somehow found the only mutant turtle she had never met. After finding what she was looking for, she let out a resigned sigh before bending back down and flipping over the unconscious form before her. "Just my luck," she groaned as she stared down into a face she would know anywhere. She didn't even need the red eye mask to tell her who had come to call.

Bending down she struggled to drag the large turtle around the side of the Jeep before propping him against the side. He was visibly quite injured as even in the deluge he was still covered in a large amount of blood.

Maneuvering around, Stella pulled open the metal door and stepped back behind him, hooking her arms beneath his shoulders and giving an almighty heave. With a grunt, she managed to raise him up slightly. Scrambling backward, she climbed into the backseat and struggled to pull him in along with her. Pushing off against the front seat with her feet she managed to drag the majority of his body up into the small car. Jumping back out into the storm, she managed to wedge his legs inside the Jeep before slamming the door shut once he was securely inside.

Climbing into the front seat, she started the engine and shifted into reverse before changing gears and resuming her perilous trek inland. She focused on dodging trees and various other debris being flung about like toys as the force of the storm increased decreasing visibility to almost zero. "Bastard better have a damn good reason for being here," she muttered darkly as she glanced into her rearview mirror.

Stella reached the small house built into the hillside just as the storm made landfall. With no small amount of effort, she somehow managed to drag him inside and secure the door behind them. After depositing him in her room, she wasted no time in starting up the small generator and checking to make certain all of the storm shutters she had neglected to take down after the last storm were still locked into place before turning her attention to the unconscious male turtle now sprawled across her bed.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she cursed the world for a moment before reaching out and checking his pulse. After determining he was, as she suspected, still alive, she checked his pupils and decided that he was most certainly suffering from a concussion as well as a low grade fever. His breathing also sounded labored but it was too soon for her to tell if that was from the fever, his injuries, or possibly a combination of the two.

With skill born of years of experience, she began to examine his injuries and decide which ones needed immediate treatment and which could wait. From what she could tell, he had a deep gash and a nasty lump on his head which had probably caused the concussion that had rendered him unconscious. He also had a large crack in his carapace that was bleeding quite freely as well as a broken hand and a number of cuts and scrapes along with a large amount of bruising pretty much everywhere.

After staunching the bleeding from the nasty head wound, stitching the gash shut, and applying a fresh dressing, Stella turned her attention to repairing the crack in his shell. Not only would it be the hardest injury to care for, it would also be the most likely source of a potentially life threatening infection if not treated properly.

She had to start by first cleaning the area with sterile water to the best of her abilities which, given the limited number of resources she had available to her in the middle of the hurricane, was not an easy task.

Working through the night while the storm howled outside, she managed to clamp the shell into place before using a handheld, battery operated drill to install a number of screws into the broken shell. She then wove wire through the screw holes in order to maintain the shape of the shell during regrowth before wrapping the entire area tightly strips of old bed sheets she had been forced to use as makeshift bandages.

Once all of the most serious injuries had been taken care of, Stella turned her attention to immobilizing the broken hand and cleaning the seemingly endless number of abrasions marring the dark green skin.

With weary eyes, she leaned back on her heels hours later and observed the battered body before her in the dim light. Beside the many injuries she had just finished treating, she also noted a fair number of newer scars crisscrossing his arms as well as his face. It appeared as though the past few years had been hard ones and she couldn't help but feel a brief pang of guilt before she brushed it aside and let her anger replace it.

He had left her first she reminded herself. It was he who had been first to abandon her and she would not allow herself to feel guilty about leaving that all behind her. She hadn't been the one to inflict those wounds. He didn't deserve her pity. Besides it wasn't as though she had left him alone in the world, far from it. He had had an entire family and more to keep him safe, her presence wouldn't have made any difference. It wasn't like he had wanted her around anyway. He had made it quite clear before she had left that he neither had any respect for her nor any desire to be around her anyway.

She furrowed her brow and tucked a sweat soaked lock of hair behind her ear. It was why his sudden appearance was such mystery and certainly not a coincidence. While she could accept the fact that of all the cars in the world for him to be thrown into during a hurricane it would be hers, as a coincidence, she had experienced far stranger things in her life than that, what she couldn't write off as coincidence was him suddenly showing up. There was no good reason for him to be here at all. Perhaps, she thought, once the storm had passed and things were more under control, if the phones were working she would make a long overdue phone call to find out just what was going on.

Knowing that she would get no answers from Raphael while he was unconscious, she turned her focus back to playing doctor. Reaching out a hand she checked his temperature. Not for the first time that night, she wished she had a thermometer. In truth she had been lucky to have a sewing kit and the old sheets she had used for bandage, never mind having a proper first-aid kit on hand.

Stella pursed her lips as she felt the heat radiating off of his body. She certainly didn't need a thermometer to tell her that his fever was still raging. In fact, she was fairly sure it had actually gotten worse but without a thermometer it was nearly impossible to tell.

His breathing was still labored as well and had begun to sound more and more congested. Thankfully his pulse was still strong and it seemed that the storm outside had already passed its peak and would hopefully be over soon. If it ended by morning then she would potentially be able to venture out and retrieve some medicine and actual medical equipment from town.

She was almost ready to call it a night when she noticed an old cut near his ankle. Bringing the light closer, she let fly a litany of curse words that would make a sailor blush. It appeared that Raphael had sliced himself open quite recently and rather than treat the wound, he had left it alone, allowing it to fester.

It was swollen and hot to the touch, obviously infected and judging by the streaking around it along with the amount of leakage she saw when she prodded it carefully, most likely the source of his fever. With a disgusted sigh, she mentally added a round of antibiotics to her shopping list while she began the disgusting task of sterilizing the area and treating it properly.

Yawning tiredly, she gazed longingly at the comfortable bed currently containing the unconscious male before resigning herself to only an hour or two of sleep at a time until the fever broke. After doing her best to bring down his fever with washcloths soaked in the coolest water she had, she decided it was time for her to get some rest before she collapsed from exhaustion, she wouldn't be any use to him dead.

Clambering awkwardly to her feet, she checked his temperature and breathing one more time before stumbling over to turn off the generator in order to conserve what little gasoline she had left.

Feeling her way tiredly in the dark, she bumped her way toward the sofa and collapsed heavily onto it. Not even having the energy to remove the mud caked shoes she was still wearing, she managed to set the alarm on her watch for two hours before succumbing to exhaustion.

The next morning the storm was over but the power was still out and her cell was dead, making any sort of call to the outside world quite impossible. After checking on Raphael and finding no change, Stella ventured outdoors to assess the damage. Walking around the small house she found only a few broken shutters and a number of snapped trees which was to be expected after a hurricane of that magnitude.

With some effort, she managed to eventually dig her Jeep out from under a massive amount of foliage and drive it into town to retrieve some necessary supplies. Everywhere she looked there were downed trees and broken branches which mad the fact that her little house had sustained only a small amount of damage seem like a small miracle.

Her trip into town took much longer than she had anticipated as the road was a mess of downed power lines, broken tree limbs, and large portions of what appeared to have once been buildings. Once she did make it into town, she found all of the shops closed as the residents spent the day cleaning up after the storm and getting back on their feet. From asking around it sounded like the storm hadn't done too much damage, there had been no major injuries or catastrophic disasters to report.

Although the shops were closed, Stella was just lucky that she had befriended the local pharmacist. After helping him remove some of the larger pieces of debris from the road outside his home and small business, he was kind enough to open up his shop to her for a few minutes so that she could collect her supplies.

After leaving the pharmacy, she decided to try her luck and drove toward the small supermarket, hoping to stock up on some more nonperishables, since she hadn't actually had time to prepare for the hurricane before it struck having been away. Unfortunately, luck was not on her side as she found that the small store had been crushed under a rather large tree. Resigning herself living off the small selection of canned goods she kept stored in the pantry, she turned her car around and drove back home to check on her patient.

Passing by the wreckage on the side of her driveway where she had found Raphael, she was tempted to poke around for clues as to why he was there but knowing it was high time she returned with the medicines she had procured to try and alleviate his fever, she put her investigation on the back burner for the time being.

She was surprised when she entered the small house and discovered that Raphael was semi-conscious but completely delirious with fever. She wanted so badly to begin drilling him for information but restrained herself as it was apparent he had no idea what was going on around him. Setting down her shopping she went about changing his dressings out with newer bandages and administering this first round of antibiotics.

The next two days were more of the same as Raphael slipped in and out of consciousness while the antibiotics fought back the infection and his body tried to recover from his injuries. It wasn't until the third day while inspecting the crack in his carapace that Stella heard him actually say anything more than a few murmured words.

"You're not her," he muttered as he squinted blearily over at her, still not quite coherent.

Stella glanced up confused. "Excuse me?" She asked, not sure he was actually addressing her.

"You're like her, but you ain't her," he replied groggily.

"I'm really not sure what-"

"Stop tryin'," he demanded getting agitated enough that Stella worried he might pull out his stitches, "you ain't never gonna be as good as her."

Stella dropped her hands as though she had been burned. "I-"

He didn't let her finish, instead he continued talking. "Love her ya know, my girl. Ain't nobody else, so you should stop tryin'."

"Stop tryin' to do what exactly?" She demanded as she fought to keep her emotions from clouding her thoughts completely.

"Ta trick me," he replied sleepily as he turned his face away from her and closed his eyes, "cause I can't. I only love her, always. Thas why 'm broken ya know, I miss 'er too bad. Ya can't be 'er," he mumbled again as he faded back into unconsciousness, "nobody can."

Swallowing thickly, Stella struggled to keep a lid on all of the old hurt that had just come bursting up to the surface. She had thought she had moved past all of this nonsense, that she had grown out of this but apparently she was wrong.

Striding quickly from the room, she grabbed her keys and headed out the door. She had heard enough and was more determined than ever to get some answers and end this madness. Starting up her Jeep, she headed toward the wreckage at the end of her drive.

Picking through the ruins of the old building didn't turn up much. She found few lite blankets coated in mildew as well as a large number of food wrappers and several empty bottles of water. He had apparently been staking out her house for a while before the storm had hit although just how long was a mystery.

She had been gone for almost a month before the night she found him so it was hard to tell. She certainly hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary before she had left so she imagined he had shown up sometime after she was gone. The question now was why.

Hopping back into her car, she headed out onto the main road and began driving toward the coast. Obviously he missed someone and it wasn't her, he had made that quite clear, and she was going to make sure he got back. No matter what his reason for being here, it was time for Raphael to go home and she was going to make sure he got there, even if she had to personally escort him the entire way but she was going to get her answers first.

By nightfall, everything had been arranged and she was ready to go. Packing up everything she would need from the small house, Stella quickly loaded it into the back of her Jeep before turning to Raphael. She had borrowed a wheelchair to cart him around until he could walk on her own. After a small struggle she managed to get him out of bed and into the back of her Jeep once again.

Closing up the house behind them, Stella turned on her headlights and headed back toward the coast. Once she hit the shoreline she veered to the left and began driving toward the private marina. A few padded pockets had made sure there would be no one on duty that evening so she didn't worry about anyone seeing her unloading a giant humanoid turtle into a wheelchair before wheeling him onto the small yacht. Once she had gotten Raphael safely back into bed, Stella unloaded the rest of her gear and locked up the Jeep.

Shaking her head at what she was about to do, she sat down heavily in the captain's chair and started up the engines. She had spent all day inspecting the ship for damage from the storm and after finding none, spent the rest of her time getting it outfitted for their journey.

Although she should be tired from such a long day, she was on such an adrenaline high that she knew sleep would be impossible which was good as they had a long way to go before morning. Expertly, she navigated her way out of the cove that sheltered the marina and into the open ocean headed north.


	7. Chapter 7

Sailing into the early wee hours of the morning, Stella finally hit the wall and was ready to crash for a few hours. After dropping anchor and securing the small yacht, she began to meander back toward the modest stateroom before pushing the door open and belatedly remembering that it was already occupied by the large turtle whom was currently curled up comfortably under the covers. Raphael had apparently shifted in his sleep and had assumed his normal position of laying on his side with his knees bent, while clutching his pillow to his plastron.

Stella frowned thoughtfully as she stared at the room's occupant for a few moments. While she watched him sleep she allowed herself to examine the subtle changes to her former confidant other than his new scars. Gone were the last vestiges of childhood from his cheeks, replaced instead by much more striking planes that made him appear so much more mature than she remembered. His body had changed as well. Raphael had always been muscular but now his physique screamed of sheer power and something else that made her a bit uneasy.

Shifting uncomfortably, Stella backed silently out of the door way before shutting it quietly behind her. Resigning herself to yet another turn on the couch, she was trying to stay silent when the yacht dipped unexpectedly and she was smacked roughly into the wood paneling of the small hallway. A loud yelp of pain escaped her lips and was followed by a disturbed snort from the other side of the door.

Stella froze in place, afraid she had woken Raphael. For five minutes she dared not move until she realized he would have made some sort of move already if he had woken up. Relaxing slightly she stumbled over toward the utilitarian couch in the middle of the small lounge.

Shaking her fist angrily at the closed door, she swore under her breath in no less than five languages as she attempted to stretch out on the less than comfortable piece of furniture. She really missed mattresses and vowed that once he actually woke, Raphael would be moving to the couch, immediately.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of tossing and turning, Stella was lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of the waves. She had just slipped into her normal fitful sleep when she was jolted awake by a large crash followed by a barrage of cursing and the sound of the door to the stateroom being thrown forcefully open.

In one fluid motion, Stella's eyes snapped wide open and she was off the couch and crouched in a defensive position. Apparently Raphael was awake and he was pissed. "Where the fuck am I?" He demanded angrily as he staggered down the short hallway, struggling to stay upright while the boat rocked beneath him.

From where she was crouched, Stella could see that he was unstable and unarmed. His balance was probably still being affected by his sickness and injuries and the motion of the boat wasn't helping matters, it didn't make him any less dangerous though.

It wasn't that she was afraid of him, if anything it was he who should be afraid of her, he just didn't know that yet. She was just, apprehensive, about actually interacting with him. It had been one thing to be around him when he was unconscious or delirious but now he was most definitely awake and that was a whole different kettle of fish.

Deciding just to bite the bullet, Stella straightened out so that she was standing in full view. "Who the fuck are you?" He demanded warily as he squinted toward where she was standing.

Glancing quickly around Stella realized that the rising sun was at her back making it hard for him to see anything about her other than her outline. Smirking slightly, she decided to use it to her advantage and mess with his head out of spite so, rather than answer him she turned around and began walking toward the wheelhouse, monitoring his every move as he tried to follow her.

"Look lady," he spat angrily as he crashed into the sofa and almost fell over as the ship went over a particularly large swell, "I don't know who tha fuck ya are, or where tha fuck ya tink you're takin' me but I ain't goin' any fuckin' where until I get some fuckin' answers. Then, after I do, you're gonna turn this floatin' piece a garbage around and take me back where ya found me. I got important shit to do and I don' need some broad messin' it up for me. Ya got that Princess?"

"Whoa," Stella held up a hand in protest. "Princess? What the hell?"

"Oh she speaks," Raphael replied sarcastically, "yeah you heard me. You got a problem with that babe?"

"Yeah I've got a problem with that, babe," she retorted angrily. "I took care of your ass, patched you up and kept you alive all out of the goodness of my heart and this is how you speak to me? Where the hell is your sense of gratitude?"

"Oh well excuse me if I don't appreciate wakin' up on a boat in the middle of the fuckin' ocean with some broad I don' even know. What the hell do you want me to say?"

"Uh," Stella put her finger on her lip as she paused for a moment, "oh I don't know, how about thank you?" She suggested sarcastically.

Raphael narrowed his eyes angrily before grunting out a reluctant thank you. "Still didn't tell me who you are," he reminded her as she spun back around and continued steadily navigating her way up to the wheelhouse.

"You're a real idiot you know that Raphael?" Stella quipped over her shoulder as she pushed back the sliding door and stepped into the small room before allowing it to slide closed behind her.

She heard his muffled shout outside the door. "What? I am not," he defended as he grabbed the handle of the door before letting it snap back shut and taking an unsteady step backwards. "Wait, how'd you know my name?" he asked warily through the thin wood.

"How do you not know mine?" she countered haughtily as she quickly checked over the instruments before pulling the door back open and stepping back out into the lounge. She watched amused as he continued to back away from her, while looking for some sort of weapon to defend himself with should he need it as she stepped forward steadily all the while making sure to keep the sun at her back. This was proving to be far more amusing than she could ever have imagined.

"Look lady, I don' even know you…"

"Oh but Raphael, I know oh so much about you," she replied mysteriously. "I know where you came from, where you live. Hell, I even know what nightmares kept you up at night when you were small."

"All right I'm so done with this mysterious shit. You's had better tell me who the fuck you are right now before you really piss me off and lady, you ain't gonna like that."

"Oh really Raphael?" she taunted evilly as she took another step closer, she was enjoying this far too much and she knew it. "Whatcha gonna do, scaredy turtle?"

"I'm not a-," he huffed before pausing for a moment and squinting harder in her direction and Stella silently berated herself for taunting him the way she had when they were children. There was no way he wasn't going to recognize her now.

Cocking his head to the side, Raphael took a step closer and resignedly Stella allowed him to approach, he was going to find out it was her eventually. "Stella?" he asked in a tone of disbelief. "Is that you?"

"Yeah it's me you big stupid meathead," she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Sure took ya long enough to figure it out."

"Stel- I uh, hey." He mumbled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, stopping suddenly when he felt the line of stitches across his head. "What the-?" he mumbled, looking down at himself for the first time. He raised his broken left hand up in front of his face and examined the cast that covered it before exploring the rest of his body with curious fingers. Tenderly he trailed his unbroken hand down his head to his wrapped torso before glancing down toward his wrapped leg. "What-?"

"You're lucky you're not dead right now," Stella said, interrupting his self-examination.

"What happened to me?" He asked as he turned to catch his reflection in the glass. "Looks like I got hit by a truck."

"Not a truck, just a Jeep," she replied off handedly.

"A Jeep?"

"Yeah, thanks for that by the way. Now I've got a big ass dent on my hood. Thank god for the hurricane so I don't have to explain that one to my insurance agent."

"Uh, I'm not sure I-"

"Yeah, I didn't think so," she sighed. "Don't remember much after the fever started, do you?"

He turned his confused amber eyes toward her and she found she had to look away. "How'd you know about the fever?"

"You were half dead from infection when I found you. My guess, you cut your leg," she pointed to the wrapping near his ankle, "and rather than take care of it you ignored it, like usual, then it got infected and you got sick. At some point the hurricane hit but by then you were too out of it to do shit, like find real shelter. Then at some point the shack you were staying in collapsed, throwing you out into the street and onto my car. End of story."

"End a story huh?"

"Pretty much. Now that I've answered some of your questions I think it's only fair that you answer some of mine starting with what the hell you're doing out here."

"Uh you drug me out here."

"Don't play stupid with me," she snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously. "You know what I'm talking about. Why aren't you in New York Raphael?"

"Why aren't you in New York Stel?" He shot back crossing his arms and spreading his legs in an attempt to steady himself.

"That's none of your concern Raphael," she warned him.

"You know you've gotta whole lotta' explainin' to do Stella. You've been gone for three fuckin' years! You owe me some answers. Hell, it's the least you could do afta leavin' without a fuckin' word."

"I don't owe you shit!" She could feel herself building up a head of steam and rather than control her emotions she decided just to unleash them. "You read the letters. I had shit to do and I needed to leave to do it so I did. The end."

"Yeah thanks for that by the way," he retorted angrily. "Really loved how much I meant to ya. Truly beautiful penmanship ya have there Stel, you should think about becomin' a calligrapher or some shit."

Choosing to ignore him, Stella continued speaking. "Besides, I have no doubt that April updated everyone after she saw me in Morocco so no mystery there. Don't know why you care anyway, you made it pretty fucking obvious that you didn't give a shit about me before I left anyway."

He narrowed his eyes. "That's bullshit!" he shouted stepping closer.

"Oh that's- that's bullshit is it? Is it really?" She sputtered as she saw red and strode closer until she was glaring angrily up at him. "So that wasn't you who accused me of prostituting myself for information? Am I wrong in thinking that I was nearly killed and you never once took the time to come see me? And am I incorrect in thinking that you listened as I screamed for you until I couldn't scream anymore and rather than oh I don't know, pop your head in you gave some new girl lessons using my fucking Kama? You're actually going to stand there and tell me that's bullshit, really? Really"

"Stel-"

"Don't Stel me Raphael. Why the hell are you here?"

He slammed his fist into the nearest wall. "You've been gone three fuckin' years Stella! Three years! The family's fallin' apart without you, what the fuck else was I supposed to do? It's time to stop all this bullshit and come back where you belong."

"You don't know shit about where I belong."

"I know sure as hell it's not out here," he waved his hand around at their current surroundings, "just wanderin' around, doin' whatever the hell you want. Neva' thinkin' 'bout nobody but yourself."

"Wandering around huh? That's what you think I've been doing all this time? Just wandering around, havin' a good fuckin' time only thinking about myself. You're an asshole," she spat.

"Fine I'm a real asshole Stel. Trust me, I fuckin' know I'm reminded of that every god damn day. Look, I didn' come all this way to argue with you about what you've been doin' all this time, currently I don' give a flyin' fuck, we can fight about that lata'. I just came to bring your ass back."

"Oh really," she challenged, "and why would I go back with you?"

"Because ya need ta fix things." He grunted in frustration. "Ya hurt Fearless real bad. He knows Splinta' told ya he was gettin' hitched and you didn' even bother to show. Don's been tryin' to track ya for ages but you're drivin' 'im nuts, with this bullshit ghosting or whatever the hell it is you've been doin' in and out of society. And the girls, fuck Stel, you didn' even stick around to meet them. And Splinta'-"

"I get it Raphael, you think I fucked up, that I should have stayed around to make everyone else happy. So maybe it was selfish the way I left but do you honestly believe I only did it for me? That I've been out here just getting my jollies?"

"I don' know what to think!" He argued back throwing his hands up. "I came lookin for ya, expectin' to find ya trainin' with some sort of new weapons or somethin' and I find this shit," he gestured around at their surroundings. "Stella you was a weapons masta'."

"Woopdie fuckin do!" she chuckled humorlessly. "So I can kill people with more pointy things than the rest of you can, big fucking deal, that means shit out in the real world. Did you know there are worse things out there than mutated plants and crazed ninja assassins? I know, it sounds crazy but I've seen some shit you would never believe, things you would never understand."

"I don't know what shit your talkin' 'bout or what that has to do with anything," he ran his good hand over his face. "Alls I know is that our family needed you Stella and you weren't there," he accused her.

"Oh that's rich," she snorted derisively. "How badly could Leo need me?" She asked. "He knows I talk to Splinter, but it's not like he came to try and find me or to actually get in contact with me. No, you know what he did instead? He just decided that he had the right to order me to drop everything and come running when it was convenient for him and why is that? Because he's in charge of everyone and everything all the time. Well guess what? He's not in charge of me, not anymore. And Don, well he's just more of the same, thinking he could try and trick me into doing what he wants by forcing me out using his stupid computer. Newsflash! I'm done being forced to do things I don't want to do!"

"Alright so we're assholes," Raphael shrugged. "So what about Mikey, huh? How big of an asshole is he?"

"God you're dumb," she pointed out as she turned away from his hulking form and strode over to the other side of the small cabin to stare out at the sparkling waves. "If you would pull your head out of your ass for two seconds you would know that Mikey sends me letters every week and has for the past two years. You're all just too wrapped up in your own worlds to realize he's not a dumb little kid anymore. None of you give him enough credit. He was the only one out of all four of you who was smart enough to figure out how to get a hold of me, and humble enough to actually do it. You obviously just never thought to ask him because if you had you would have known I was coming back in a month anyway."

There was silence for a moment as Raphael took a moment to process this news. "You was comin' back?" He asked in stunned disbelief.

"Yeah, I was," Stella stressed the word was, "Now I'm not so sure I should. Seems like not much has changed."

"So we're headed back ta New York?" he pressed.

"Eventually."

"What da ya mean eventually? Where are we goin' now?"

"Vacation."

"Vacation?"

"Did I stutter? Yes on vacation. I had planned on taking some time off before heading back to New York so I could get my head on straight before dealing with," she gestured to all of him, "this bullshit. But since you mucked up my plans," she looked up and tried to gather her strength, " well I guess you're coming with me."

"And if I don't want to?"

"Then tough shit. It's not like you care if I wanted to come with you or not I just happen to have the upper hand right now," she pointed out. "The way I look at it, you have two choices, you can either come along and stay out of my way while I enjoy some time off or you can swim back to New York and take your chances with the sharks, your choice. Either way I'm going on vacation."

"This is bullshit Stella,"

She threw her hands up over her head. "That's what I've been saying this entire time!" She shouted in agreement as she began walking back toward the small stateroom.

"Where the hell are you goin' now?" He demanded as he watched her walking into the room he had just vacated.

"Bed. You've used my mattresses long enough and I'm tired of taking care of your ass all the time. From now on your ungrateful ass can have the couch."

"Well what am I supposed to do while you're in there playin' sleepin' beauty?"

"I don't know," she snapped before closing the door. "Why don't you make yourself useful and make me a fuckin' sandwich?"


	8. Chapter 8

Stella's sleep was anything but peaceful. Outside her door she could hear Raphael slamming around and after trying, and failing to shut him out she eventually gave up the foolish notion that she could catch up on some much needed rest. Disgruntled, she climbed back out of bed and went about getting dressed.

Preparing herself for the worst, she braced herself before opening her cabin door. The first thing she noticed was that the galley was a disaster. Apparently Raphael had been famished and demolished a disgusting amount of food before leaving all of his garbage and dishes behind. Scowling, Stella picked her way through the mess, grabbing an open box of Cap'n Crunch on her way to the bridge.

The navigation system appeared undisturbed meaning Raphael hadn't tried to determine their destination which struck her as a little unusual for someone who was in essence being held against their will but she let it go. She assumed that he probably didn't know how to read any of the instrumentation in there anyway let alone use any of it anyway.

After checking the weather forecast as well as their heading, Stella decided it was best to check the health of the ship before raising anchor and continuing on their way.

As she walked around the deck munching on her dry cereal, she had just begun to think that perhaps Raphael had actually decided to try and swim back to land when a large shadow fell across her path.

"Uh, you still eat that shit dry? You're a fuckin' masochist. How do ya still have any skin left on the roof a ya mouth?" A deep voice rumbled from the shadows.

"Raphael," she greeted him coldly as she made sure to crunch extra loudly on a fresh handful of cereal knowing from past experiences he hated the sound of chewing, it was like nails on a chalkboard to him. She was delighted to see it had its desired effect when she saw his eye twitch from behind his mask.

"Enjoy your beauty sleep Princess?" he scowled down at her as he stepped into the sunlight.

"I would have enjoyed it a whole lot more if someone hadn't been behaving like such a grumpy bitch and slamming shit around in the kitchen," she retorted glaring menacingly back up at him. "Thanks for cleaning up after yourself by the way."

"Oh no!" He gasped mockingly, clutching his broken hand to his chest. "Am I makin' the Princess unhappy? Lil' Stella doesn't like me makin' a mess of her new fuckin' life?" He dropped his casted hand back to his side. "Well go cry me a fuckin' river. I don' like this shit any more than you do."

"Then why are you here?" Stella demanded, tossing her head back in exasperation feeling like a broken record.

While she had been trying to fall asleep she had been mulling over everything he had told her and none of it made sense. There was no good reason for him to show up to drag her back to New York. Obviously no one had known what he was planning when he had left otherwise either Mikey or Master Splinter would have informed him of her travel plans.

None of it added up. When she had left years ago he had given no indication that he really gave a shit, hell he had called her a whore and ignored her when she had needed him most in order to hang out with the new girl.

Raphael rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his plastron. "S'like I told ya before, the family is broken and you," he jabbed a finger in her direction as he tried to emphasize his point, "need to come back and fix the shit ya broke when ya ran off."

Stella pushed her way past him with difficulty as she continued around the deck checking on the health of the ship. "That's not what I meant," she puffed while leaning over the side to check the integrity of the hull. "Why you? Huh? Why did you suddenly get some wild hair up your ass and decide to track me down without telling anyone that you were leaving?"

Raphael followed behind her, wincing every time she crunched loudly. "Who says I didn' tell anybody?"

"Doesn't take a genius to figure it out. If you had Mikey or Splinter would have told you I was coming back and Donny and Leo would never have let you come alone. This was obviously all you brainiac."

"Whateva'," he grumbled turning his back to her, "S'not like you'd understand anyway."

"Understand what exactly?"

"Nothin', jus' forget it." He growled.

"Whatever," she snapped. "How did you find me anyway?" The small brunette demanded, curious to know the answer.

Stella had worked tirelessly to make sure she was untraceable, ghosting in and out of places while she worked. Yet it obviously hadn't taken him very long to find her at all otherwise Mikey would surely have mentioned Raphael's disappearance in his last letter.

No matter how many times she had told him not to mention Raphael to her if he wanted her to continue to write back he surely would have chanced her wrath to relay that little bit if news if the older turtle had gone missing meaning it had to have been recent.

"If Donny couldn't do it and you didn't talk to Mikey or Splinter, how did you manage to track me down?"

The large turtle smirked and let out a self-satisfied snort. "Wasn't hard."

Stella's eyebrows shot up nearly to her hairline. "Really? You know I highly doubt that. I went through a hell of a lot of trouble to be untraceable so how did you manage it?"

He smirked down at her and gave her a look that only served to piss her off further, "Maybe 'cause I know you betta' than any'a them fools."

"Is that so?" She challenged, jutting out her right hip and pursing her lips.

"Yeah, yeah it is," he shot back. "Hate to break it to ya sweetheart but there ain't no one on this planet that knows ya betta' than I do Stel."

"While that might have been true once upon a time I wouldn't be so sure about that these days. There's a hell of a lot about me you don't know Raphael."

"Yeah, well whose fault is that?" He challenged stepping closer.

"Yours," she replied emphatically poking his plastron covered chest, "entirely yours."

He raised his eye ridge so far he appeared to be in a state of shock. "Tha fuck?"

"It's your own fault," she informed him, "just ask Master Splinter or April for that matter. Before you made it known to everyone just what you think about me I was planning on taking you with me. This," she opened her arms wide and gestured to the seascape surrounding them. "This was supposed to be our adventure, yours and mine. We were going to see the world without Leo or any of the others holding us back just like we had talked about since we were little kids. It was just going to be the two of us, granted we weren't going to be gone very long, but we were going to get out for at least awhile. But you went and shot that plan to shit so," she shrugged nonchalantly, "I went without you. It's really not my fault that you're a chauvinist pig."

"I'm not!" He sputtered.

"Oh really? Completely ignoring my ability to handle a situation and then accusing me of whoring myself out to get information wasn't chauvinistic at all? What would you call it then?"

Rather than answer, Raphael just stared at her with a look of wide eyed disbelief with his mouth hanging open. "That's what I thought."

"Look," she sighed after a moment. "We'll be there in a few hours, why don't you go up and lay in the sun for a bit while I focus on getting us on track? I can tell you haven't spent nearly as much time in the sun as you're supposed to and it'll help you heal faster if you do.

"Why'd ya care?" He huffed.

"Unlike someone, I never stopped caring," she retorted angrily. How dare he question her! She may not have left under the most ideal circumstances but that was entirely his fault. No one could blame her for wanting, no, needing to get away from the terrible situation she had been thrust into. Not only had she just found out that she was some fluke found only within their world but she had also been easily replaced in a matter of hours.

"Could a fooled me," he sneered.

"Oh and how's that?"

"You left me! You fuckin' left me! Hell, at least the others got some sort of letter but not me, I got squat. You know how hard I looked for that letter? Thought for sure you had put it somewhere just for me to find, but nothin'. Made me feel like a fuckin' fool. Everyone asking to read my letter for fuckin' months thought it was going to hold some magical key to getting you back or some crap like that, like you had left me a goddamn treasure map to find you or somethin'. I was too fuckin' embarrassed to admit you left me without shit. Wasn't until April showed back up from Morocco after seein' ya that everyone found out that ya hadn't left me anythin'. It was fuckin' humiliatin'."

"Yeah? Well imagine how I felt when you abandoned my broken ass to go hang out with some new girls. I had nearly died then I wake up to find out that I don't even exist in that other dimension when everyone else does because apparently I don't really matter. Kinda shook my entire perception of the world and when I needed some serious fucking support I was left on my own. Who looked like a fool then? Can't even get the one person I'm closest to in the entire world to give a shit when I need him most, instead he's off playing around, teaching some chick how to use my weapons while I recover from nearly dying after trying to save his ass. Sounds like maybe you needed a little reality check."

"I didn'-"

"Oh didn't you Raphael? I heard you in the dojo the night I left, using my kana and teaching what's her tit how to use them. Don't tell me you didn't, I was there."

Raphael turned and punched the nearest wall. "Goddamn it Stella you wouldn't understand!"

"You know I'm getting really sick of this shit. Fucking whatever okay. I'm going back to the wheelhouse and raising the anchor. You can lay in the sun like I suggested or whatever, frankly right now I don't give a damn. We can discuss exactly why you're here and what it is that I supposedly wouldn't understand later. I can't even look at you right now."

A few hours later found Stella sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth and frowning while she concentrated on navigating around the sharp rocks and sandbars that surrounded her remote island retreat before eventually pulling up alongside an old buoy floating atop the calm waters within the sheltered cove. Cutting the engines, she sprang out of the wheelhouse and began securing the vessel while Raphael, looking a good deal less agitated than he had earlier in the day, watched her silently from above.

Finally she was content that all was as it should be and she allowed herself to smile for the first time in what felt like years. Everywhere she looked she was surrounded by beauty. Even her current company couldn't ruin that for her.

Having calmed himself down considerably, Raphael managed to ask where it was exactly that they were going before they went back to New York. In response Stella just shrugged as she continued to gaze out at the small uninhabited island before her. "Doesn't have a name, not that I know of anyway, it's just a place I like to go when I really need a break. Come on then."

Stella led the way around the back of the vessel where a small zodiac was tied to the deck. Using a small hydraulic lift, she lowered it into the water before jumping aboard herself. "You coming?" she called out to Raphael as he hovered in a doorway.

"Er, I ain't got a disguise or nothin'," he muttered darkly.

"Doesn't matter," she assured him, "it's uninhabited. We're the only ones here." The large turtle furrowed his brow for a moment, his eyes flicking back and forth between the safety of the covered vessel and the openness of the beach before finally nodding his consent and climbing aboard the small craft.


	9. Chapter 9

As soon as they reached land, Stella warned Raphael to stay on the boat. "Don't want you to get your bandages wet," she explained before jumping into the surf and dragging the boat partway up the beach.  
As soon as the water was shallow enough, Raphael leapt off of the zodiac and using only one hand managed to pull the craft farther up the beach than Stella would ever have been able to on her own.

"Now what?" he grunted, looking around at the empty beach suspiciously as though he expected to be attacked at any moment.

Stella brushed past him and retrieved a small cooler and a number of beach towels she had stashed in a watertight storage compartment aboard the boat earlier. "Now," she shoved a bundle of towels into his arms and led the way over to a particularly nice spot overlooking the ocean, "we relax," she replied as she began clearing the sand of small bits of debris before spreading her towel out and unloading the rest of her things.

"Thas it?" he asked sounding shocked. "You're just gonna, sit here? Doin' nothing?"

Stella rolled her eyes at how thick he was being as she reached for the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it over her head. "No," her muffled voice answered from inside the fabric, "I'm just going to lay here and do nothing."

Throwing her shirt onto the towel she glanced up and found Raphael's gaze following her every move making her feel slightly self-conscious. Shaking it off, she dropped her own gaze and began to unbutton her jean shorts only to stop suddenly when she heard a startled intake of breath.

"What the hell was that?" She laughed snapping her head up to look around for anything that could have caused such a reaction from the large turtle.

"It wasn', I don' know what you're talkin' about," Raphael mumbled gruffly although he was obviously blushing and looking anywhere but at her.

Giving him a skeptical look, Stella continued to remove her shorts, kicking them aside when they hit the sand. "Right," she replied disbelievingly.

"Are you ah- do ya um-," Raphael trailed off as he continued to stare blankly at her now bikini clad form.

"What is wrong with you?" Stella snapped growing annoyed by his continued gawking as she smoothed out her towel before laying out in the sunshine.

"Noth-nothin'," he replied before dropping his towel onto the sand next to her. "I uh, I'm gonna' go look around. Make sure everythin' is uh safe, um yeah-." Not waiting for a reply, he took of up the beach towards the interior of the small island.

"Freak," Stella muttered under her breath as she craned her neck around and watched him disappear into the trees before pulling out a pair of sunglasses and laying back to catch some rays. If she was going back to New York City during the gray season she was damn well going to do it with a tan. There was no telling when she would next feel sunshine.

Sometime later, Raphael returned but rather than join her in the sand he chose to practice his katas further down the beach.

"What the hell?" Stella muttered to herself as she watched him practice. Apparently things had changed a lot more than she had thought. The Raphael she had known would never have passed up an afternoon of loafing about in the sun to practice his katas. Maybe he had actually matured while she was gone. "Weird," she mumbled before rolling over onto her front.

Deciding that tan lines were never in style, Stella began untying her top only to stop when she heard a strangled choking sound coming from down the beach. Propping herself up on her elbows she turned her head toward where Raphael had only moments before been exercising. Lowering her sunglasses to get a better look, she watched as he straightened up suddenly before rushing off into the trees once again without a word.

"Nope," she murmured, dropping her sunglasses and resuming untying her top, "still a freak."

It was so strange to her that Raphael would have such an odd reaction to her stripping down to her bathing suit. It wasn't like he hadn't seen her in one before, hell he had seen her naked on more than one occasion having grown up together.

Something was definitely up with him. Probably that girl he's pining over she thought to herself as she allowed her eyes to flutter closed. Part of her had naively hoped that upon reaching her small slice of paradise he would spill his guts and come clean about everything so they could start over but a much more realistic portion of her mind was quick to remind her that he was in love with someone, someone not her, and that he missed that person so badly that it was almost physically painful for him to be apart from her.

Resigning herself to an even shorter vacation than she had planned, Stella began retying her top before sitting up and gathering her things. She was many things but a sadist wasn't one of them. If being around her made him so uncomfortable that he couldn't even stand to share a beach with her for one afternoon because he was missing his mysterious someone than she would do the right thing and put him out of his misery by getting the answers she needed before heading back to New York.

"We uh we goin' back to the uh boat now?" Raphael asked when he once again emerged from the foliage and saw that Stella had packed all of her gear back onto the Zodiac.

"Yeah well it's getting dark," she replied gesturing to the vivid sunset over the horizon.

Without another word, Raphael strode forward and silently assisted Stella in relaunching the small craft. Hardly a word was exchanged the entire ride back and after securing the vessel to the side of the larger ship, they clambered awkwardly aboard.

Rolling her eyes at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation, Stella pushed past Raphael on her way to the stateroom.

"What're ya doin'?" He asked curiously as he trailed along behind her.

"Getting dressed," she replied shortly as she brushed past. "Then we're going to have a little talk about exactly why you're here so if I were you I'd use this time wisely to get your thoughts in order."

After a few minutes, Stella reemerged dressed and ready for answers. "So," she prompted as she stepped into the small lounge area, what's your reason for coming here that I couldn't possibly understand?"

"I wasn' gonna come," he replied from his spot near a large window. "I wanted to leave ya ta rot out here like ya left me, I just wanted ta say fuck it and be done with ya. It wasn't until I found- ya know what?" He turned sharply to glare down at her for a few heated moments, "neva' mind. Obviously I was wrong. Let's just get through this lil' fuckin' vacation a yours and back ta New York so you can start fixin' the shit ya messed up and we can pretend like you and I neva' happened."

"Wrong about what?" She pressed, refusing to let the issue drop. "What did you find exactly?"

"I found the box you left behind. Okay?" He snapped, whirling around to face her amber eyes wide.

"I left a lot of boxes behind Raphael," she deadpanned, rolling her eyes. "You're going to have to be a wee bit more specific."

Raphael fixed her with a scowl that screamed unamused. "I was in the shop and I found the box ya wouldn't let me open before ya left just sittin' unopened behind the counter after all this time. Seemed stupid to leave it closed, I figured ya had probably forgotten about it so I might as well open it and-."

Stella's face had paled considerably and she felt as though someone had just poured ice water through her veins, she was well aware of what that box had held and she wasn't prepared to hear that he had discovered it. Mikey surely hadn't mentioned anything about that in his last few letters but she was beginning to suspect that he and her father had been leaving quite a few things out of their correspondences. "And?" she prompted, urging him to continue talking.

The red masked turtle had begun to pace furiously like a caged animal. "And I thought that maybe it was meant for me. I mean a three hundred and twenty-four step puzzle box that holds that stupid shell I found for you on the beach the day I met you? It didn't make sense for you to give it to anyone else, no one else would know what the hell they was lookin' at but I did and I thought that maybe it meant something to ya but I guess I was wrong."

She narrowed her eyes as a tumult of emotions swirled through her. "What-," she swallowed thickly, "what did you think it meant Raphael?" she asked, dreading his answer but needing to know.

"I thought maybe, maybe it meant ya looked at me as somethin' more than just your brother somethin' different but seems I was wrong. Doesn' matta now anyways."

"Oh?"

"It's obvious you see me as somethin' fa' less. I thought it meant that maybe ya felt," he ran his good hand over his head. "Ya know, like I said, it doesn't fuckin' matta' anymore. Point is I was wrong aight, I just needed ta know that."

Stella made no response to his accusation, instead she merely bit her lower lip as he continued on. It seemed he had been really holding onto his feelings for some time and had been waiting to unleash them on her. It didn't matter how wrong he was about how she saw him, she knew from dealing with him all her life that he wouldn't listen to anything she had to say until he got everything off of his chest.

"So that's why me, cause I needed to know. Besides," he huffed, "Fearless is so busy with his new fuckin' family he can' think straight, Don's all gooey eyed ova' his goddamn annoyin' ass girlfriend, and Mikey and Splinta's attitudes about ya finally makes sense 'cause they talk to ya all the time. Goddamn traitors," he muttered the last part darkly under his breath.

"So tha's why aight'? Yeah they all miss ya but they were able ta pick up their lives and move forward. I was the only one who was too messed up to do shit with myself. I thought about goin' all Night Watcher again but it's not the same. I'm fuckin' broken Stel. Ya happy? Ya fuckin' broke me when ya left."

"Raphael I-," Stella tried to interrupt but found herself steamrolled as he continued on venting.

"I know they talk about me behind my back. Oh there goes Raph he's just grumpy because Stella left. Do you have any idea how irritatin' that shit is?" He shouted. "Everyone walking on fuckin' eggshells around me all the time, always givin' me pityin' looks whenever I get mad. It's infuriatin'! There used to be a time when I could scare most anybody into leavin' me alone but now everybody just wants to hug it out! Fuck that, I hate huggin' it out! Sometimes I just wanna' be pissed off. I'm an angsty motha' fucka', I know this and you know this but no one else seems to rememba' that shit!"

"Somedays I just wanna hate you for what you did to me but I fuckin' can't which pisses me off even more and when I try to let off some steam by getting' pissed and startin' a fight or two they all try to 'support' me in my time of need by," he mimed making air quotes with his fingers, "bein' there for me when I'm ready ta talk about my feelins'." He threw his arms up in the air. "I mean who the fuck are these people?" He roared into the sky. "What happened to sluggin' shit out?"

Stella stared at the large turtle in front of her with wide eyes as she bore witness to his mini-breakdown. "Wow, that's uh-," she tried and failed to find the right thing to say. It sounded to her like the Lair had sunk into an all new dimension of madness and she couldn't blame him for being unable to tolerate it any longer, god knows she would lose her mind if anyone tried to pull that shit on her. "Look," she offered, "if I promise not to hug you, will you calm the fuck down? Hell I'll even fight you if you want just pull your shit back together alright. This is fucking embarrassing."

Raphael let out a breath he had been holding, closed his eyes, and shook his head a small smile forming on his lips. "You're fuckin' unreal you know that Stel?"

"So I've been told once or twice." Searching around Stella grabbed the first thing she could reach in an attempt to deescalate the situation. "Captain Crunch?" She offered holding out the half empty box as a peace offering.

Eyes still closed Raphael chuffed at her lame offer. "Uh no, thanks," he laughed shaking his head. "You know I can' stand that shit without milk."

"Right- so, tell me. When you up and left New York on a whim to come down here and drag my ass back, exactly how did you think this conversation," she gestured between the two of them, "was going to play out? I mean you must have considered it since you were sitting in that shack for god knows how long waiting for me to come home."

"Hell if I know," he breathed out as all of his anger left him and he collapsed into the nearest chair. "I hadn' really thought that far ya know? It was kinda a split second decision trackin' ya down and confrontin' ya." He shrugged. "I guess I really jus' hoped for some kinda answers or somethin'."

"About why I left?"

"About everythin' goddamn it. Stel, can't you tell I've been a fuckin' wreck without ya? I fucked up okay. I get that but fuck. You leavin' like that was fuckin' low no matter how much of a prick I was bein'. I didn't deserve that shit."

Stella pursed her lips and inhaled deeply as she tried to center herself. It wasn't like she had never regretted her actions, in fact she had struggled with her decision every single day since she had fled the lair without looking back. She had been so hurt and desperate for escape that a midnight departure had seemed like the best idea at the time and now, coming face to face with the aftermath of that decision she wasn't so sure.

"You have no idea do you?" she asked quietly as she gazed resolutely out over the horizon. Raphael just gave her a withering look in response. So she continued. Since they were apparently having some sort of emotional douching session she figured she had might as well join in the fun.

"You have no idea how I felt. You may feel like I had abandoned you but at least you still knew who you were and where you belonged. You were the lucky one because within a matter of hours I went from having a life that had purpose, to being told that I was some sort of anomaly that apparently wasn't even supposed to exist making it all too easy to replace me and if that wasn't enough you had to go and drive the point home. Do you really think I was thinking straight? Because I'll tell you right now I wasn't. As far as I knew my only options were to stay and fight a war I was never going to win or to run and find some sort of purpose on my own."

"And did ya?"

"Did I what?"

"Find ya purpose?"

Stella scoffed as she remembered the events that had transpired since leaving New York. "Not at first but eventually, yeah. Yeah, I did. And you may not agree with me but I finally figured out where I was needed most. I found something I could do that no one else could, something that helped more than just me. I found a way to protect everything I love by doing what I do best."

"An wha's that?"

She bit her lip knowing he wasn't going to like her answer. "I think Donny calls it ghosting? Using everything I know to work my way into a system or a group before getting what I need and getting out again without leaving any lasting trace of my ever being there. That's what I was doing when April found me, or I found her more like it, she never would have found me otherwise. I was just finishing perfecting the art before I moved onto my bigger target."

"Why do I have a feelin' I'm not goin' to like where this is goin'?" Raphael ground out between clenched teeth as he regarded her suspiciously.

"Oh I can guarantee you won't like it but," she shrugged her shoulders as if to say there wasn't anything he could do about it. "I may have, ever so slightly mind you, started a coup within the Foot and now I may again, ever so slightly, be controlling the majority of their movements without them knowing about it. Also I didn't have to sleep with anyone or exchange any sort of sexual favors in order to accomplish it so no worries about me slutin' it up," she rushed to explain sheepishly as she waited for his outburst.

Rather than explode like she had thought he would, the large turtle sat still as stone on the couch staring at her for what felt like eternity. Stella would have been convinced he had suffered a stroke and died had he not blinked a time or two.

"So yep," Stella rocked back on the balls of her feet uncomfortably. "Anytime you want to respond. Just, take your time."

"Stella," Raphael said calmly.

"Yes?" She replied while trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

"You had betta' start runnin' 'cause I'm about to fuckin' kill ya."

"And I thank you for that heads up," Stella squeaked as she dove for the door, just out of reach of his long grasp.

Skidding around a corner, she weighed her options for a mere moment before the enraged turtle came hurtling out of the doorway behind her. Choosing not to waste any more time, Stella leapt from the deck of the ship into the dark water and began to swim like her life depended on it which it very well did.

Her only hope was reaching the shore before Raphael caught up to her, at least there she would have the upper hand, in the water well he would dominate. Counting on his still healing injuries to slow him down slightly, Stella swam faster than she ever had before. She had almost reached land when she felt a hand close around her ankle and drag her back under the water.

Flipping around she struck out with her other foot, aiming for where she suspected his head might be and was rewarded when her foot connected with something quite solid and his grip loosened. Pushing off from him, she propelled herself forward just enough to reach the shallows and run ashore.

As soon as she was on solid ground, she began to strategize. Raphael might have the advantage in the water but she could surely take him on anywhere else. For a fleeting moment she considered running for the cover of the trees and simply evading the rampaging male but quickly shoved that thought aside. This fight had been a long time coming and it needed to happen.

Raphael needed to let out his frustrations and she needed to prove to him that she wasn't to be dismissed as some helpless little hair bow tagalong who couldn't take care of herself. She hadn't spent her whole life training just to take the backseat whenever Raphael or Leo or whoever decided she wasn't strong enough to handle the same things they could.

With a roar that sent a flock of birds skyward, Raphael erupted from the waves and rushed right for Stella. Squaring her shoulders, Stella prepared for one hell of a fight.


	10. Chapter 10

Without pause Raphael rushed at the small woman, not stopping for even an instant to catch his breath as he charged toward her slight frame. With the agility born of a lifetime's worth of training, Stella was easily able to dodge his straightforward attack.

Raphael wasn't necessarily known for being the most agile or creative of fighters. Instead he chose to rely more on his strength and endurance to help him win his fights the vast majority of the time, something Stella was well aware of. She was slightly surprised that he was choosing to rush at her headfirst, apparently he had decided to grapple with her knowing that he stood a better chance of overwhelming her with his superior size than he did in a battle of actual skill, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle.

Lithely, she dodged each of his attacks, not even defending herself just taunting him by always being just out of reach while he allowed his anger consume him and eek away at his energy stores.

"What is wrong with you?" He demanded. "Are you fuckin' suicidal?" He ground out as they circled one another.

Stella scoffed. "Hardly."

"Then what the hell were you thinkin'?" He demanded, eyeing her angrily.

"Gosh Raphael I don't know. I guess I was thinking; gee, all this fighting seems to be getting us nowhere. Hum, I wonder if there's a more effective way I can stop these bastards without everyone almost getting blown up over and over again." She answered sarcastically. "Turns out, there is."

Raphael didn't seem happy with her belittling tone and made another go. "Goddamn it Stella! Fuckin' fight me already!" He demanded as he dove at her and missed his target once again when she danced right out of his reach.

"You don't know what you're asking me for," Stella warned as she jumped out of the way just in the nick of time. In response she received only an enraged roar as he began to speed up his attacks. "Fine," she relented finally, "but it's your ass."

Realizing he was going to get the fight he so desperately sought, Raphael gave her the cocky sneer she recognized well. It was the look he had so often worn whenever he was certain he had a fight in the bag. She couldn't wait to wipe it off of his face.

With a series of movements that left him reeling, Stella managed not only to land several hits on Raphael's much larger form she also completely evaded his crushing grip each time. "What the hell?" He demanded, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Rather than answer, Stella merely shrugged and settled into a defensive stance before mockingly waving him forward to attack her. Without mercy, Stella used everything she knew about Raphael's fighting ability to her advantage. He may have grown in muscle mass over the past few years but his fighting style was relatively unchanged and at the moment she wasn't above preying on every one of his weaknesses in order to win the fight.

For years Leonardo and Master Splinter had harped on Raphael to better defend his right side but he had always gotten away with having Stella there to guard his weakest side when it really mattered. Now Stella used that knowledge against him as she landed hit after hit on his quickly tiring form.

Her father had once taught them that fighting fair wasn't the most important thing, doing whatever it took to survive the fight was so long as you could live with yourself afterward. And as she had no plans to kill or seriously maim her opponent at the moment, there weren't many things Stella wasn't willing to do in order to win.

It was obvious to Stella that her opponent was tiring quickly. The adrenaline that had fueled his earlier burst of energy was all but depleted after his swim and his fruitless rage driven attacks and judging by his slowing movements and weakening attacks it wouldn't be long before he dropped completely. At his best he would have been able to fight for much longer but after being bed ridden for so long, his muscles just weren't responding the way he needed them to in order to take her on in a fight.

"Fuck!" He screamed as Stella landed a blow to his head, just left of his stitches. Gripping his head, he staggered to the side before regaining his footing and preparing to defend again.

"Do you yield?" She asked, her breathing still even and her voice clear while he panted heavily.

"No," he grunted as he lunged and missed once again, receiving a well-placed foot to the shell for his troubles which sent him tumbling forward onto the beach and earned him a face full of sand.

"I'll ask you again," Stella repeated as she watched him struggle to his feet, "do you yield?"

"Ugh!" He shouted with frustration and slammed his good hand into the sand. "Fine, I yield goddamn it!"

"Good," she replied before dropping her arms and stepping forward, her demeanor instantly changing now that the threat of being crushed by the enraged male had passed. "Look for what it's worth, I'm sorry," she said while offering him a hand up.

Ignoring the proffered hand, the large turtle clambered to his feet and tried to brush himself off. "For fightin' dirty?"

"No," she shook her head and scoffed. "I'm not going to apologize for your sloppy form and gross ability to underestimate me," she replied snappily. "Dad and Leo have been telling you to guard your right side for years. It's not my fault you don't take criticism well enough to actually listen to good advice rather than storm off pissed every time you're told you've made a mistake. What I meant is that I'm sorry you had to find out about my infiltrating the Foot this way, I was planning on revealing that a little bit better and hoping everyone would be more supportive but if your response is anything to go by, I'm going to have one hell of a brawl on my hands when I get back to New York and everyone finds out about my ghosting."

"They don' know?" He winced as he clutched his now unbandaged left hand to his plastron. "I thought ya said you was in contact with Splinta' and Mikey."

Sheepishly Stella bit her lip and swept her tangled wet hair out of her face before turning her attention toward trying to wring out her saltwater drenched clothing. "I am but they don't actually know what I've been doing, exactly. Dad has some idea that I've been keeping things from him but other than that no, you're uh, the only one who knows so far. It's not exactly something I can go shouting from the rooftops you know? If I want this to work I have to play this thing close to the vest. And as for Mikey we just talk about you know, Mikey type things. Unlike some people I know, he trusts me to make my own decisions and doesn't pry."

"I don' like it," Raphael mumbled as Stella gave up on her clothes and stepped closer to inspect his stitches for any new damage.

"You don't have to like it," she replied as she pulled his head down closer to hers so that she could get a closer look at the damage in the waning light, "you just have to accept it and trust that I'm strong enough to handle myself."

"It's not your ability to handle yourself that I'm worried about," he muttered as he flicked his eyes up to meet hers. "I'm worried that I'm not strong enough." He admitted quietly.

Stella took a small step back and cocked her head to the side. Squinting, she warily regarded the large turtle in front of her. "What are you-," she began as she dropped her hands away from his head only to have them immediately caught back up in his much larger hands.

"I can' do it again Stella, I'm just, I'm not strong enough." He admitted quietly while locking eyes with hers and closing the gap between their bodies. "Ya broke me when ya left and I couldn', I can', go through that shit again."

She forced her gaze away from his as she tried to collect her thoughts. "Raphael-,"

He shook his head while moving closer still until their foreheads were pressed firmly together and it seemed to Stella that they were sharing the same breath. She could hear her heart beating so loudly that she was almost certain Raphael could hear it as well. The feel of having him so close to her was so foreign yet so familiar that she felt emotions being stirred up that she had been struggling to suppress every day for what felt like an eternity. She knew it was wrong, he was in love with someone else but she was beginning to wonder if perhaps she had more masochistic tendencies than she had been previously aware of.

On one hand she was terrified by the sudden rush of feeling his presence was evoking yet at the same time she finally felt somehow more, well just more right than she had in a very long time. Inhaling deeply, she forced her brown eyes back up to meet his expressive amber orbs.

"Stel, I'm a hotheaded asshole who doesn' know when ta shut the hell up but that doesn' mean I don' have feelins. That's why I'm here really," he admitted, swallowing thickly. "There's somethin' I needed to tell ya. Stel I-"

She held up her hand to stop him, she knew what was coming and she couldn't bear to hear him tell her about the girl he had left behind. This was the part where he told her about how in love he was and how her fucking up the family had messed his relationship up so much because of the strain. Hell, if Stella was really unlucky he was probably going to tell her about how poorly she compared to his new love. So, in the interest of self-preservation, she decided to lessen the blow and beat him to the punch.

"It's cool Raphael, I know about you being in love you don't have to get all awkward about telling me. I'm happy for you, you found someone and that's great," With great difficulty, Stella managed to paste a convincing smile on her face. "I'm just sorry you had to be separated from her because you felt guilty about what happened between us. I know it's hard to be so far away from someone you love. I promise, you won't have to do anything like this again."

"Wha- what?" He jerked back in surprise. "I- what're ya-," he sputtered.

"With the Foot under control you won't have to worry about being separated from each other again, you'll finally be able to have a sense of balance in your life. I promise, I'll do everything in my power to make things better for you so you can have a normal relationship." She assured him, meaning every word even though it was killing her on the inside. "If everything works out you won't have to make choices like this again."

"Are you on crack or some shit?" He demanded, trying to peer into her eyes. "Where the fuck you getting' this shit about me and this girl from? Did Mikey feed ya this load a crap?"

"No I'm not on crack," she recoiled from his penetrating stare. "And Mikey didn't tell me anything, not about you anyway. He and Splinter never bring you up to me and I don't ask," she admitted. "Anyway, you're the one who told me about this girl."

"I told ya?"

"Yeah."

"When the fuck did this little heart ta heart take place 'cause I sure as hell don' remember this shit."

"When you were delirious," she explained, finally managing to wriggle free of his grip. "You told me-," she closed her eyes as she remembered the hurt she had felt at his confession, "you told me you were in love, that she was the only one you'd ever love. You were pretty serious about the whole thing."

"And who the fuck did you think I was talkin' about?" He demanded.

"I don't know!" Stella replied, her exasperation lacing her every word. "As you've reminded me numerous times, I haven't exactly been around in a while. All I know is that whoever she is she's definitely a better person than I am."

"Seriously Stel, what're ya talkin' about?"

"I'm just repeating what you told me," she slumped in defeat and couldn't keep the emotion out of her voice as she turned her head away embarrassed. "You said I was like her but I'm not her and that I should just stop tryin' 'cause you'll only love her which is cool because I wasn't trying to get you to fall in love with me or anything," she began to babble while she found herself trying to convince herself that what she was saying was the truth. There was no way she wanted Raphael to be in love with her. Right?

"So I suppose when I was pourin' my heart out to ya while I was delirious with a feva' you didn't think to uh, oh I don' know, question just how with it I was?"

"Well no," she admitted. "I mean I guess you were pretty out of it but-"

"So you're tellin' me that I was totally out of it and spoutin' nonsense and you decided to, to wha? Take every word comin' outta my mouth and consider it absolute like I was the fuckin' Pope or some shit? You do rememba' that when I woke up yesterday I didn' even recognize ya at first don't ya? I mean have ya looked in a mirror lately Stel? You're not exactly the same lil' girl who ran off three years ago."

"Don't," Stella pleaded suddenly trying to separate herself from the situation before things got even more out of hand. "Just stop being such a dick okay. It's not funny. Alright," she admitted, "so maybe I was giving what you were saying a little too much credit but I know what I heard and no amount of delirium would have you waxing poetic about a girl unless it was at least partially true."

"Hey I'm not denyin' that I said those things, I'm jus' tellin ya that you've got it all wrong."

"Look Raphael, you don't need to explain yourself to me. I'm happy for you alright. Why can't you just let this go? What's the big deal? Why are you being such an asshat about this whole thing?"

"I'm not bein' an asshat!" He argued back, his amber eyes flashing in the fading light.

"You are!"

"God Stella!" He muttered turning his angry gaze toward the sky. "Why do you have to be such a hard headed know it all? Why can' you just listen and admit you're wrong for once?"

"I'm not!"

Raphael shook his head in disgust. "How can you be so fuckin' sure of yourself?"

"I just-," she foundered for a moment, "I just am. I know I'm right about this, you're in love with some girl but for some reason you're being a real dick about admitting it. Why the fuck are you so angry all the time?"

"Oh yeah, I'm bein' the dick," he muttered under his breath while rolling his eyes. "You know this is just like when we was kids and you always had to be right, no matta' what. It's just like ya knew, without a doubt, that there was a secret underground entrance into FAO Schwartz? Mikey and I wasted three whole months lookin' for tha' shit and guess what, it didn't fuckin' exist! But were you willin' to admit you were wrong. Hell no, not you 'cause you're neva' wrong about nothin'!" He spat.

"That's not the same," she argued back half-heartedly.

"Like hell it isn't!" He shouted, building up a head of steam again. "Why can't you accept that maybe for once in your fuckin' life you don' know everythin'? Huh? Am I that fuckin' awful that you actually believe that I can' feel nothin' but angry all the goddamn time?"

By now he was breathing heavily and he had begun to pace the damp sand like a caged animal and Stella could do nothing but watch, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. "Well newsflash Princess," he threw his arms up into the air, "I was talkin' about you! I fuckin' love you. In fact I've been in fuckin' love with ya since the first time I eva saw ya and yeah, that makes me angry 'cause you fuckin' left me with no problem but there's nothin' I can' do about that now."

"Raphael just stop, please." She begged backing away from him. Her head was beginning to swim from the violent back and forth and she needed this conversation to end, now before, well before it all became too much for her to handle. "You may think you mean these things but I know you don't know what you're saying."

"Like hell I don't," he seethed, his emotions rolling off him in waves as he stalked forward, never letting her increase the gap between them. "Don' you dare tell me what I do an' don' feel Stella! Without waiting for a response from a stunned looking Stella, Raphael took several long strides across the beach before coming to stand directly in front of her yet again. "I love you Stella," he repeated, much more calmly this time although with no less conviction. "I've neva' loved anyone else and guess wha? I neva' will. Whetha' you like it or not, you're it for me."

Stella's brain was working overtime to try to process all of this new information and it had almost caught up when suddenly her mind melted completely as she felt Raphael pull her forcefully into his arms and press his mouth to her own.


	11. Chapter 11

Stella had never seriously imagined exactly what kissing Raphael would be like, she had always managed to stop her daydreams before they had gotten very far but if she had let her imagination run away with her she surely wouldn't have come even close to the real thing. Gone was the rough, tough guy persona that Raphael always liked to put on and rather than being replaced by the closet snuggler she had always known a new, passionate persona had popped up taking her by surprise.

As his lips continued their assault upon her own, something about the roughness of his skin sent delicious chills racing down her spine and she couldn't stop the small groan that escaped her. That small noise seemed to ignite something within Raphael. As soon as he heard it he increased his assault on Stella's lips and she was surprised to find herself responding with just as much fervor, if not more. Finally, they hit a peak and were forced to break apart in order to catch their breaths.

"I'm gonna take it that the idea of this," he motioned between them, "doesn' freak ya out," Raphael panted while wearing a self-satisfied smirk but behind it she could make out an underlying feeling of uncertainty.

"Not if it doesn't freak you out," she replied. "I mean you've thought of me as your sister for a long time."

He laughed. "Stel, I ain't thought a you as my sista' since we was ten. I mean not that I thought a you like this when I was ten or nothin' but the way I've felt about ya has always been different from anybody else. Ya know?"

"I know," she assured him. "Mikey, Leo, and Donnie I've always thought of as my brothers but you've always been something different, something more."

"An' me bein' a big mutated turtle?"

"I could ask you the same thing about me being human."

"True." They lapsed into silence for a moment. "So that was one hell of a kiss wan' it?" He grinned devilishly down at her.

As much as Stella normally would love to wipe that particular look off of his face, she didn't have it in her to be completely evil. "Well it wasn't the worst kiss I've ever had," she replied with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. She may not be completely evil but she certainly wasn't going to allow Raphael's ego to ride shotgun and make him completely unbearable to live with.

Immediately, the smirk slid off of the large turtle's face and he actually appeared shocked. "Not the- are you kidding me woman?" He demanded, obviously offended. "Not the worst? That was some movie quality kissin' and all you have to say is 'it wasn' the worst'?" He eyed her skeptically, suddenly serious. "Who've you been kissin' on anyway?"

It was Stella's turn to smirk now. Moving closer she craned her neck to look him in the eye. "That's between me and-," Raphael leaned intently forward, hanging onto her every word. "Well would you look at that? Looks like I'm not one to kiss and tell," she snickered at his furrowed gaze and earned a low growl in response. "I guess you could always try again," she gave him a coy smile. "I mean, if you really want to prove your point that is."

Raphael cocked his eye ridge in response to her challenge before wrapping his large hands around her waist and drawing her closer into his embrace. "I'll take that challenge," he muttered before recapturing her lips with his own.

Raphael's kisses were like nothing she had ever experienced before and it went so much deeper than the different textures of their skin. Stella hadn't been lying earlier when she had suggested that she had kissed other guys, she most certainly had, but every one of those kisses paled in comparison to what she was feeling now. She suddenly felt freer, more comfortable, and far, far hornier than she had probably ever been.

As their kissing once again hit a fever pitch, they found their hands furiously groping, exploring one another's forms. Stella ran her hands up and down Raphael's plastron before moving back up to the tender skin around his neck and eventually up to his bandanna tails. Acting completely on a whim, she began untying the red bandanna he almost always wore. Meanwhile Raphael had slipped his good hand up the back of her quickly drying shirt but with only one hand working correctly he found himself getting quickly frustrated.

"Stella," he moaned plaintively against her mouth between kisses. Taking pity on his plight, Stella dropped his red bandanna onto the sand before reaching down and with one quick motion she rid herself of her top leaving her standing in nothing but her bikini top and a pair of shorts,

"God you're hot," Raphael sighed before diving in to attack her neck with his mouth while his hand shoved her flimsy bikini top out of the way before he managed to rip it off of her completely. Stella let out an appreciative moan as he began to trail kisses across her collar bone.

Suddenly Stella found herself laying in the sand while Raphael hovered over her. "Raph," she panted as he joined her in the sand and quickly reclaimed her lips while his hand began exploring her newly exposed chest.

It wasn't until Stella felt his hand began to play at the button of her shorts that she was really able to think straight. "Wait," she panted stilling his hand with one of her own while slipping the other under his chin and forcing him to look up at her. "We can't."

Raphael blinked at her for a moment before slowly nodding his head. "Uh uh right, Stel. I'm sorry you're right it's too soon. I didn' mean ta rush ya. I just- and you're so-, god." He allowed his head to drop onto her collarbone as he rolled to the side.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Stella laughed causing his head to jerk up. "Too fucking soon? Do you have any idea how long I've wanted this?" she snorted in disbelief while Raphael stared at her with wide eyes. "Too fuckin' soon, I just don' wanna do it in the sand." She gestured to their surroundings. "I know it sounds romantic as shit to have sex on the beach but fuck! Sand gets everywhere and there are some places I'd rather it not go, if you catch my drift. That's just a Cosmo confession waitin' to happen."

Raphael continued to stare at her for a moment longer before he began to chuckle. "Ah thank fuck!" he shouted as he leaned back in to kiss her on the forehead. "There ya are! I was beginnin' to get worried with all of your good grammar and shit that you were gone but I knew you still had some New York in there somewhere."

Stella couldn't help but grin. "I've been workin' on droppin' my accent so I'm less memorable and shit but fuck it," she laughed, "it's nice not to have ta have ta think about what I'm sayin' every fuckin' moment."

By this point Raphael had rolled back over her so that he was now hovering over top her sprawled out form. "So back ta what we was discussin," he nipped at her jaw playfully making her laugh. "You really don' think we're rushin'?"

Stella shrugged her shoulders. "I guess it depends on who you ask. If you were to ask say April or some shit for sure you'd get a yes but I for one don't really give a flyin' fuck what anyone else thinks. Well other than you that is," she amended with a sly smile, "I do care about your opinion this time."

"Thanks?" his reply sounded more like a question.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, yeah. I know," he waved her aside as he turned his attention back toward her exposed breasts.

"I'm going to take a guess and say you don' feel like we're rushin' anything either," she breathed as he licked first one nipple and then the other making them stand at attention in the quickly cooling night air.

"Hell no," he grunted. "I'm just about done waitin'. In fact I say we swim back to the ship right now."

"Ah yeah, well that would be a great idea, if it weren't for the sharks," Stella replied.

"Tha- wait, what now?"

"Sharks," she said, "this is their feeding time and I've seen some pretty gnarly ones out here in the past but hey, if you want to try swimming back to the boat rather than spend a night on the beach be my guest. Personally, I'm going to stay here and wait for morning, just to be safe."

"Well fuck."

"I told you Raphie, not in the sand," she laughed as he pouted.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"Callin' me Raphie again," he began twirling a wayward curl around his large finger. "You know I can' stand it when you call me Raphael, makes my skin crawl."

"I know," she replied before leaning up to kiss his jaw line, "that's why I did it."

"I'm sorry you know," he said, his voice rumbling pleasantly through his chest. "Those things I said," he hung his head, "soon as I said 'em I felt like shit but I was too biga asshole to do anythin' about it then afta ya got hurt-." He leaned back slightly. "Stel you gotta know you're my whole world without you I ain't got shit 'cept a pair a forks and a bad fuckin' attitude. I almost lost you an' Mikey that night. Fuck if I had know ya was up there I woulda dropped Tina on her ass and hauled ya outta there myself."

"Raph," Stella interrupted only to be silenced by a glance.

Raphael shook his head. "I been waitin' a long time to get this shit offa my chest Stel. Seein' you an Mikey just layin there, bleedin' on the sidewalk not knowin' if yis was gonna make it or not," he swallowed thickly and looked away for a moment. "I just couldn' face ya knowin' I coulda' stopped that, I shoulda' protected ya betta but I didn'. Hell ya shouldn' a even been there by yourself! If it wasn' for me fuckin' shit up earlier you woulda been right by my side the whole time where ya belonged ratha' than on your own. If Mikey hadn' a heard ya, if he had listened to me and left the buildin' that night. Fuck I'm an asshole." He sighed and rolled off of her once again to lay on his carapace in the sand, one arm thrown over his eyes.

Stella pursed her lips and furrowed her brow as she regarded the large turtle currently beating himself up on the inside over her. It was true that he had been a real dick to her before she had left but she had never blamed him for her injuries that night. He was right, she should never have had to go in alone but there was no way of saying that even if she had entered with him at her side that she wouldn't have gotten hurt just as badly or even worse. Every time they entered into a fight there was always a chance that one of them might not walk away, it was a risk they all knowingly took and she wasn't about ready to let him take responsibility for that.

"You're an idiot," she announced as she put her arms behind her head and looked up at the night sky, searching for the now familiar constellations she would soon be saying goodbye to as she traveled back to New York.

"Got that, thanks," he muttered around his arm before peering cautiously over toward her.

"No really," she continued. "You honestly blame yourself for me choosing to go into that building alone that night? Are you stupid? Of course I was going in and you know as well as I do that we've always known there was a chance one of us wouldn' be walkin' back out again. S'not like when we were fifteen and stupid, thinkin' we were invincible. We're fucking adults, I knew what I was doin'. Am I saying you're not an asshole for saying that shit to me or that you're not a complete fucktard for leaving me alone and fucking scared afterwards? Hell no. You royally fucked up. But the part in between? If you have to blame anyone blame fuckin' Stockman, god knows I do."

"But-"

"Whatever," Stella interrupted sitting up and pulling her shirt back on before snatching up his discarded bandanna and using it to tie back her saltwater and sand encrusted hair. "I'm tired as shit of carrying all this emotional fucking baggage around all the goddamn time. Can we just start being Raph and Stella again and just move past all of this crap to get back to what really matters?"

"You mean getting back to that boat a yours as fast as possible?" He waggled his eye ridge suggestively and Stella had to laugh.

"I mean building a fucking fire so we don't freeze our pathetic asses off out here on the beach before we have to swim back against the tide in the morning." Seeing Raphael's disheartened face she couldn't hide the smile from her face. "Then we can focus on getting back to the ship as soon as possible. Ready?" She asked standing up and shaking the loose sand off of herself before holding out her hand.

"Eh, not quite yet." Stella let out a small squeal as she found herself tumbling back down toward the ground only to find herself once again trapped in Raphael's embrace. "I jus' wanna, you know," he murmured against her hair as he cradled her against his plastron.

"Cuddle?" Stella suggested as she settled more comfortably against him.

"Shaddup," he muttered before leaning down to recapture her lips with his once again.


	12. Chapter 12

Eventually the two did manage to disentangle themselves for long enough to collect enough drift wood to build a roaring fire that kept them warm into the night. Even though they were on an island near the equator it was still liable to get chilly at night and they were glad for the extra warmth. Dawn the next day came early and found them curled up together near the burnt out remains of their fire.

"Ugh," Stella groaned as she tried to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight. Raphael shifted beside her and tried to hide his face in her hair. Rolling her eyes, she stretched before disentangling herself from his hold and clambering to her feet. After cracking her back she strode off into the jungle to take care of business before stepping back out onto the beach.

Raphael hadn't moved much, he was still just where she had left him but he had his head between his knees and seemed to be having some trouble actually waking up which was no surprise since he had never been an early riser, not even as a child.

Rolling her head across her shoulders, Stella began her morning stretches while she waited for him to wake up more fully. She had just begun some warm ups when she heard him approaching from behind.

"Morning," she greeted him as she performed a few basic moves.

"Mornin'," he grunted, his voice still laced with sleep. "Whatcha doin'?" He asked curiously.

Stella never paused instead she transitioned into the next series of movements. "Just a warm up," she replied.

He scratched his head lazily as he continued to watch her. "Doesn' look like any warm up I've eva' seen you do before."

"Cause it's not," she answered smoothly. "I've picked up a few new things over the years," she explained.

"Yeah I noticed," he grunted as he subconsciously rubbed at the sore spot on the side of his head where she had hit him the night before. "Your fightin' styles changed."

She shrugged. "Some. I needed to learn some new things, you know to make me less recognizable if I were to get into a fight or somethin'. Having a choice of different fighting styles was a good way for me to do that, plus it makes my next move more unpredictable to my opponent."

"You ah, you get into a lot of fights?" Raphael asked trying to be as nonchalant as possible.

Stella shrugged her shoulders again. "Probably less than however many you're imaginin'," she replied while watching him out of the corner of her eye. "I've tried to keep my head down as much as possible remember? Ghosting don' work if everybody's lookin' for ya cause ya beat the piss outta them."

"Oh yeah," Raphael rubbed his head again, "right. So uh about last night…" he trailed off.

"Yeah?" Stella finished her warm up and placed her hands on her hips.

"I uh-" he rubbed his good hand over his face. "We're uh okay right? I mean now that, you know- I mean it's a new day an all, you're not-"

Stella smiled crookedly and shook her head before striding forward until she was standing right in front of the large turtle. "Are you tryin' to ask me if I regret last night?"

"Uh yeah," he shrugged sheepishly and refused to meet her eyes, "yeah I guess I am. So ya know, do ya?"

"Do you?"

"Stella," he pleaded looking completely pathetic.

"No I don't regret it. Well I don't regret the end of the night. You findin' out about what I've been doin' all this time and the fight and shit I could have done without. But no I don't regret the rest."

Raphael threw his head back and visibly relaxed. "Thank fuck!" He exclaimed. "I don' know what I woulda done if ya had."

"Well you probably wouldn't 've done this," Stella said before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his head down to meet hers while she rose up on her tiptoes. Raphael grinned before wrapping a steadying hand around her waist and leaning down to meet her lips with his own. It wasn't long before things once again began to get heated and they were forced to break apart for air.

"So you think those sharks are gone?" he asked as he warily regarded the slightly choppy expanse of water that lay between them and the small ship.

"Probably. At least most of them anyway," Stella replied disentangling herself from his arms. "I'm not real worried, I'm pretty sure we'll be fine. Just let me find my," she searched the sand for a moment before jogging over and snatching up a piece of cloth. "Got it!" she called as she slipped her bikini top back on under her shirt and deftly retied it.

"Damn, I was really hopin' you'd leave that off," Raphael laughed before coming over to join her. "You think I can get my bandanna back any time soon?" He asked as he pulled at the loose ends of her makeshift hair piece.

"Eh maybe later," Stella said. "Besides, I like you without it on. It makes you look-" she paused for a second as she regarded him, "I don't know, different somehow. Younger maybe? Anyway whatever it is I like it. A lot," she emphasized the last part before leaning in to kiss his jawline earning her a contented growl. "You ready to get back to the ship?"

"Stel I've been ready since you told me you didn' want to do it on the beach," he growled before scooping her up and rushing into the waves. Stella squealed as the first of the waves washed over them but quickly began laughing as Raphael dragged them farther from shore before releasing her to swim on her own.

The swim back to the ship took much longer than the one the night before but Stella decided that was probably due to the fact that the first time she had been swimming for her life and hadn't found herself stopping every few meters to kiss her swimming companion.

By the time they reached the ship they were both panting and completely on edge. Heaving herself out of the water and onto the deck of the boat Stella had only a moment to catch her breath before she found herself pinned up against a wall by Raphael.

"God Stel," he breathed heavily into her neck as he kissed his way around her collarbone, his good hand holding both of hers captive above her head.

Gasping slightly Stella closed her eyes to the feeling of him nipping at her jaw. "I- I need," she stuttered.

"Yeah?" He rumbled, now working his way over to her jugular.

"I need- a shower," she sighed causing him to straighten up suddenly.

"A shower?" He repeated dumbly, letting her arms drop. "Are ya- are ya serious right now?"

"Yeah," she reached up and pulled a piece of loose seaweed out of her hair before throwing it back overboard. "I really am." She scooted under his arm while he stood frozen. Stopping a few feet away she turned and gave him a suggestive look over her shoulder. "I never said I didn' want you ta join me."

Immediately, Raphael's bewildered look morphed into one far more devilish as he quickly caught back up to her and tossed her over his shoulder before heading inside.

It was a miracle they ever made it into the small bathroom let alone got the water started. The shower wasn't large but it was big enough to hold the two of them. Without bothering to strip out of her now sodden clothing, Stella pulled Raphael under the stream with her only to pick up where they had left off.

It wasn't long before Stella's shirt was back on the ground in a wet heap with her bikini top and his mask following soon after. As the steam of the shower engulfed the pair, they took the time to begin fully exploring one another's bodies in ways they had never thought possible.

Before too long, Stella felt a hand working at the button on her shorts and couldn't help but laugh at the growl of frustration she could hear rumbling though her partner's chest.

"Need some help chief?" She teased while nipping at the underside of his jaw.

"No." He grumped before leaning back against the shower wall with a sigh. "Alright, yeah." He admitted sounding slightly defeated. "I feel like fuckin Westley tryin' to get into Buttercup's pants."

"Don' worry," Stella reached up with her left hand and patted his face patronizingly while reaching down with her right hand and unbuttoning her pants with a small twist of her fingers, "I'm positive you're keys gonna open this lock."

As soon as her button was undone, she felt her shorts and bikini bottoms being slid off of her hips and onto the ground into an unceremonious heap.

"Fuck," Raphael breathed as the last barrier between them hit the floor.

Stella couldn't help but laugh. "Well that is the idea."

Raising himself up to his full height, Raphael tilted his head back and breathed in deeply before reaching behind her and turning off the water leaving them in a cloud of misty steam.

"Raph?" Stella asked.

"I don' wanna-," he paused for a moment before leaning down to look her square in the eye. "What I mean is I wanna do right by ya Stel, I don' just wanna," he waved his hand around in the air but she got his gist.

She smiled shyly back at him before stepping out of the shower and grabbing a nearby towel, "I know, me either." Patting herself dry quickly she bit her lip and offered him the towel.

"I jus- I wanna," he was stumbling over his words and it sent a feeling of warmth flooding through her veins. "I mean this is supposed ta be special for ya and all and I feel like I'm jus- I don' know, fuckin' this up." He ran his hand over his head and stared down at her.

Stella smiled back up at him until a thought hit her and the smile slid right off of her face only to be replaced just as quickly with a look of slight uneasiness.

'Shit, shit, shit!' Stella thought to herself. 'He thinks, oh fuck.' Until that moment she had never considered the possibility that she would ever need to have this particular discussion with him, ever, but there was no avoiding it now.

"Raph," she winced slightly, "I'm not-," she inhaled deeply before meeting his amber eyes with her own smoldering brown ones. She wasn't ashamed of herself but saying it just felt wrong in so many ways, "I'm not a virgin." She blurted out.

For a moment the only sounds were the drip of the shower behind them combined with the muffled crash of waves against the hull of the ship as neither one was breathing. Stella watched as the giant turtle in front of her tensed his shoulders before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Stel-" he choked out before snapping his mouth shut, seeming to consider his words. "I- neither am I." He admitted after a moment.

Stella knew it was completely unfair but she couldn't stop the surge of jealousy that shot though her. "You're not a-" she stopped short when she realized Raphael seemed to be experiencing the same range of emotions she was and knew he was most likely hanging tenuously onto his anger by a thread. "You know what. I don't care," she reached out for him again, pulling him down to her by the towel currently draped around his neck.

Without hesitation he joined her in a blistering kiss. "So aftawards we gonna fight about who needs ta die?" He muttered against her lips.

"Oh, fuck yeah," she mumbled back while reaching back to turn the doorknob, releasing them out into the small hallway leading to the only bedroom.

Stumbling backwards, Stella allowed herself to be steered toward the large bed before climbing backwards onto it while dragging a willing Raphael right along with her.

In one swift movement, she felt her knees swept out from under her and found herself on her back with Raphael hovering over her looking quite pleased with himself.

"Smooth," she complimented him.

"Yeah," he replied as he trailed his good hand and his eyes down her body. "Yeah I am."

Stella couldn't hold back the moan that escaped her lips as his hand found her most tender spot.

"God Stel," he moaned as he rubbed her gently feeling her body responding to his touch.

"Raph, please," she moaned out again, "don'. Any more foreplay will fuckin' kill me. I just want-."

"Oh thank fuck," he chuckled moving back up her body before catching her swollen lips again, "there's no way I can hold on much longer." Without any more words exchanged, he allowed himself to dropdown before lining himself up between her thighs and pressing experimentally forward with a groan and earning himself an appreciative moan in response.

Urged forward by Stella's pleasured sounds and her insistent hands, he pressed himself forward until he was fully sheathed inside her. Surrounded by her crushing warmth he forced himself to stop and allow her to adjust.

Stella bit her lip and tried to focus in remembering to breathe. Reaching up she ran her fingers over Raphael's brow and down his face before leaning up to kiss him lightly. "I love you," she admitted for the first time.

"I've always loved ya Stella," he breathed as he began to move inside of her, effectively ending all conversation as they went rushing headfirst down a mountaintop toward ecstasy.


	13. Chapter 13

The next few days passed in a veritable haze of eating, sleeping, and lovemaking with little interruption. It wasn't until the third day that there was any real variation. "What the hell is that?" Raph grunted his face smashed into the pillows. Beside him Stella gave a noncommittal groan as she attempted to burrow further into the fluffy comforter she had taken up residence under. An electronic beeping had begun emitting from the direction of the wheelhouse.

"Stel," Raph muttered bumping her insistently, "what the hell is that?"

"I don' know, sounds like it's probably the satellite phone," she muttered. A moment later her head popped up from beneath the covers, her hair looking like a bit like a haystack. "Shit it's the satellite phone!" She exclaimed before tossing off her covers and tumbling out of bed earning her an amused snort from Raphael.

"Uh, just let it ring," he muttered as he watched her struggle to untangle herself from the bed sheets while struggling to shrug on a robe. "Come on, come back to bed," he groaned.

"Crap, crap, crap," she repeated as she navigated her way out the door of the bedroom and towards the wheelhouse with a slightly disgruntled Raphael following curiously behind. "Don't hang up, don't hang up, don't hang up," she chanted repeatedly as she pulled the door open and dove for the offending piece of electronic equipment.

With a quick glance at the screen she realized who was calling and after pressing the answer key, she put the phone to her ear. "Sup, love bunny?" she cooed happily into the phone.

Raphael's eyes widened comically. "Sup love bunny?" He mouthed, narrowing his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest.

"What's going on kitten?" The jovial voice over the phone asked. "I'm not interrupting anything important am I?"

"Oh no you weren't interrupting anything I was just, you know, doing stuff," she winked at Raph and chuckled at his affronted expression at being referred to as 'stuff'.

She paused and listened to the voice over the phone, trying to concentrate on what the caller was saying while watching in amusement as Raphael appeared to get more and more worked up the longer she stayed on the line.

Stella made sure to plaster a giant smile on her face before responding to a question. "Ah babe you know I miss your squishy face too! I can't wait to see you! I'm gonna squeeze you so hard. Uh huh, uh huh. No! No way! No way!" She exclaimed, squealing happily and earning a disgusted glare from the large turtle who had begun to crack his neck menacingly. "You've got to be kidding me! You're not? Oh wow, I can't wait for you to tell me every dirty and disgusting detail."

She continued to respond positively to the story she was hearing while shaking her head when Raphael began hissing at her to hang up and knocking his hands away when he tried to snatch the phone out of her grasp. He was definitely looking beyond livid.

"Yep, okay. It's a date. Remember, every sordid detail! Okay I can't wait, see you soon. Yep, yep. Love you too my little butternut squash! Okay, okay, bye!" With a flourish she pushed the end button and turned toward a fuming Raphael with a huge smile.

"What. The. Fuck?" He demanded angrily crossing his arms over his plastron.

Stella tried her best to school her features to be as innocent as possible. "What?" She replied with a shrug as she placed the phone back on the cradle.

"Whadda ya mean, what?" He snapped. "What the hell was that Stella? What's goin on and who the fuck is this love bunny with the squishy face?"

"Raph, calm down," she laughed.

"Calm down? I'll show you calm down" he seethed beginning to pace back and forth, "right after I beat this little butternut squash a yours into a pulp! Really Stel? Love bunny? Butternut squash?" He threw his hands up in the air with disgust dripping from his words. "What the hell? Who was that? You know you sounded real dumb just now Stel. In fact you sounded just like Mikey, he always comes up with shitty nicknames like-," he stopped his pacing and furrowed his brow for a moment. Meanwhile, Stella couldn't help the smirk that spread across her face as she watched him connect the dots. "That was Mikey wasn' it?"

"It may have been."

"You're the chick he's been using all the ridiculous pet names for whenever he's on the phone aren't ya?"

Stella shrugged. "It's possible, although there could be others. I mean, my little love bunny is pretty good with the ladies," she teased.

"Shit Stel," Raphael groaned as he leaned back against the wall and allowed his head to fall back. "For a second there you had me ready to commit a most brutal murder."

"Ah, was lil' Raphie jealous of his eenie weenie baby brotha?" Stella teased. "Afwaid he had some competition?"

The large turtle scoffed. "No. Pft. Me? Jealous of that bonehead? Gimme a break. I was just - concerned was all."

"Oh yeah."

"Yeah, I mean it coulda been ol' what's his nut. That ol' flame a yours."

"Ol' flame a- oh," Stella realized he was referring to the man she had lost her virginity to. "Well no worries there," she reassured him as she stepped forward to wrap her arms around his neck, "there is no way that will ever be an issue."

"No? You sure I don't need to issue any death threats or nothin'?" He asked while pressing his forehead against hers and wrapping his large arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

"Lil' late for that," Stella replied with a wince and pulling back slightly. "He's uh- yeah, he's already dead. Has been for some time now."

Raphael grimaced and looked decidedly uncomfortable. "What uh- what happened?"

Stella screwed up her face for a moment wondering just how much he needed to know before answering. "He was a UXO tech, which means he dealt with demilitarizing explosives and stuff like that. Anyway apparently something went wrong and he you know, died." She finished lamely.

"Oh uh, I'm uh-sorry to uh hear that."

Stella shrugged, feeling incredibly awkward about the whole thing. "Thanks. He was a uh nice guy but that was really it. We weren't really like together or anything. I hadn't even talked to him in over six months when it happened so-," she trailed off. "Well what about you?" She asked eager to change the direction of the conversation as well and get some answers of her own. "Who'd you lose it to?"

"Me," he muttered closing his eyes. "Who'd I lose it to. Well she's a girl and uh, she's not dead." He nodded his head and reached back to rub the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Um okay so she's a she and she's not dead," Stella pressed but was met with silence that lasted a beat too long. "Is that really all I'm gonna get outta you? She's not dead?"

"No," he snapped, "I'm jus, I'm not really sure how to-"

"Oh come on Raph, it can't be that bad."

"It's jus- I mean," he screwed up his face slightly and squinted at her with one eye. "It kinda is," he admitted looking quite sheepish.

Stella stared at him for a moment before her brain began coming up with a list of terrible possibilities. "Oh my god you had sex with April didn't you?" She shouted stepping back from him and shaking her head in disgust. "I can't believe you!"

"What I- wha? No! Why would you even think dat?"

"Alright then," she put her hands on her hips and stared him down, "if it wasn't April who was it? It wasn't Angel was it? Cause you know Mikey really-"

"Dammit woman, calm the fuck down for Christ's sake! It wasn' either a them. It was Artie, okay. I lost it to Artie."

"Artie," Stella repeated the unfamiliar name before scowling again while she considered whether to believe him or not. "I don't know any Artie."

"Artie, you know, Artemis." He said as if that would explain everything. After receiving a blank look he continued trying to jog her memory. "You know, little mutant turtle chick, incredibly annoying," he prompted. "Super cutesy, wears a big stupid bow. Acts like the world's made of rainbows and jellybeans."

Stella furrowed her brow for a moment. She had never really taken the time to learn the female turtles' names having been pretty pissed about their very existence for the past three years but for some reason Artemis stood out.

"No," she gasped her hand flying to her mouth in horror as she stared at Raphael with wide eyes when she figured out who he was talking about. There was no way Raph, her Raph had actually had, relations with that little bundle of sugared violets who had bopped into her room when she was hurt after the explosion.

"Ho-ly shit!" She exclaimed in horror and disbelief. "You didn't. Oh Raph tell me you didn't." She laughed as Raphael hung his head in shame and his face gave her her answer. "Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!" She began to jump up and down while pointing her finger accusingly at him.

"Stella," he groaned.

"Oh my- holy crap Raph! I can't even be mad I'm so, I don't know-embarrassed for you? Kinda horrified yet really morbidly curious about how this all came to pass. How was it?" she whispered conspiratorially. "Never mind I don't want details but I mean - shit. She's girly Mikey isn't she? That musta been-"

"Scarring," he confirmed with a nod and a shiver. "It only happened the one time and in my defense I was drunk and she took full advantage of my delicate state. She's not as innocent as she looks. Anyway as if that weren't bad enough, aftawards she starts followin' me around and talkin' bout gettin' a kittin or some shit togetha. God Stel I couldn' come home for a month aftawards to do anythin' more than showa and when I did, I had fuckin' Leo and Donnie in my face about doin' right by her and shit all 'cause their annoyin' ass girlfriends wouldn't let it go. I mean hell, the girl's got an attention span of a goldfish and had moved on by then but none a them wanted ta let it drop. I think Tina was hopin' for a double weddin' or some shit."

"Tina, that's short for-"

"Athena, you know the one Ol' Fearless married. She's uh me, kinda." He made a face that showed exactly what he thought of that particular pairing.

"Right. Oh! Oh!" Stella gasped and began to wave her hands around in front of her face.

"What now?"

"Mikey called."

"Uh yeah Stel, I know. I was here, rememba' the convasation we jus had about your lil' love bunny?"

"Shut up, that's not the point," she huffed. "Anyway, like I was saying, Mikey called to see when I was comin' home and also to tell me… Oh my gosh you're not going to believe it," she squeaked excitedly before pausing for dramatic effect. "Donnie knocked up his girlfriend!" She finally squealed.

"No!" Raph perked up immediately and laughed into his fist. "No fuckin' way! The brainiac?" He shook his head in stunned disbelief. "Crap on a cracker, I didn' know ol' Don had it in him. I thought for sure he was waitin' till he was married."

"Yeah well obviously not," Stella giggled feeling a bit giddy at the preposterousness of the whole situation. It was crazy to think that Donnie, her shy nerd of a brother had managed to get a girl to look at him let alone actually reproduce with him. "Anyway, apparently she's not only pregnant, she's also way further along than you would think so either a.) she kept it a secret for some time or b.) the mutation is causing it to accelerate. Either way they think she's gonna LAY HER EGGS, mind you I just said eggs as in more than one, any day and after that it will only be a matter of a week or two before they hatch."

"Oh man I bet Don's shittin' a brick right about now."

"Yeah," Stella chuckled. "Mikey didn't tell me much more than that, 'cause he had to go before he got caught, but apparently there's gonna be an ol' fashioned shotgun weddin' later today. He will of course be video documenting EVERYTHING that happens in order to report in when I get back to New York."

"Damn! I can' believe I'm missin' this!" Raphael exclaimed looking forlornly out the window towards the horizon. "I should be there."

"Hey it's your own fault." Stella pointed out while trying very hard not to feel offended knowing what he meant. "You're the one who decided to trek all the way out here to find me and drag me home rather than just asked Dad or Mikey if they had heard from me."

Raphael sighed and let his shoulders droop. "You know I didn' mean-"

"I know," she reassured him as she came to stand at his side and grabbed his hand. "I've felt the same way quite a few times over the past few years every time I've missed something important I've beat myself up over it, sometimes for months. If it makes ya feel any better I'm as pissed about missing this freak show as you are. Freakin' Mikey. That guy's got the best luck when it comes to witnessing messed up family moments," she sighed.

"So why didn' ya, come home I mean?" He asked before sliding open the door to the small cabin and motioning for her to exit first.

Stella shrugged her shoulders as she walked past him. "For a while it was cause I was angry and pretty hurt about everything that happened before I left. Plus I told you I've been working on making things better for everyone and no matter how many times I just wanted to throw in the towel and come home I've always thought that in the long run I've been doing more good out here than anything I could accomplish back in New York. I mean there were other things too but you know whatever. I did what I had to do, doesn't mean I always felt good afterwards though," she admitted.

"Hey, don' beat yourself up over it babe. Sure as hell Leo and Donnie will do that for ya once we get back to the Big Apple."

"Thanks Raph that's –," she wrinkled her nose at the thought of the reception awaiting her upon her return, " real comforting. And don't call me babe," she added as an afterthought.

"Why not?" he demanded. "Like a month or two ago I heard Mikey calling you his little pickled egg. Babe is way better than that shit."

"Just don't. Anyway speaking of going home and shit we're missin, we really should get underway. I told Mikey I'd try to be home before Christmas and it's going to take us at least a week to get home if we don't hit any bad weather on the way. Plus we're going to have to stop and refuel as well as stock up on supplies now that we've just about polished off the last of the Cap'n…" she trailed off absentmindedly as Raphael began playing with the loosely tied belt on her robe.

"So what your sayin' is," he nipped at her neck and dropped his voice an octave, causing goosebumps to erupt across her exposed skin, "we should be enjoyin' the shit outta this time before we have to deal with everyone else jumpin' down our throats for bein a coupl'a hot heads and tryin' to get all up in our business," he smirked against her skin as he pushed the robe off of her shoulders and onto the deck.

"Ye-yeah," she murmured, shivering as he began running his rough fingers across her collarbone and down the center of her chest before coming to rest on her hips. "Tha-that's what I'm sayin'."

He pulled her gently backwards to rest against him and Stella allowed herself to relax against his plastron while reaching back to wrap her own arm around his neck, urging him to lean down and began nipping at her own neck. Raphael chuckled as he complied with the unspoken request. "So we'll leave tomorrow then?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure, tomorrow," Stella agreed as his hands began to migrate lower causing her to gasp and arch backwards. "Or the next day, whichever. I mean we should definitely enjoy our time together before we get dragged down into their madness."

Raphael chuckled against her neck. "Yeah, right."


	14. Chapter 14

"You sure you're up for this?"

Stella rolled her eyes. "Raph-."

"Hey I'm just sayin'," he raised his hands defensively. "I mean, if you're not ready for this, I'm cool wit waitin' a lil' bit longer-," he leaned in towards her neck in an attempt to distract her but she smoothly dodged out of his reach leaving him looking slightly perturbed.

"Thanks for the concern but I'm pretty sure I can handle this shit," Stella assured him as she helped move his scarf into place. "Hell, I'm more worried about your ass. At least people knew I was takin' off when I did. From the sounds of it you on the other hand just got pissed off one day and walked out mumblin' to yourself and just didn't come back. Pretty sure they're gonna be way more pissed about that."

"I don' know, a coupla' weeks isn't nearly as bad as three fuckin' years Stel. Sides," he pointed out, "it's not like it was the first time I took off to cool off for a while."

"Touché," she replied as she pulled out a knit cap and handed it to him. "Alright, how 'bout we just agree that we're both fucked? No matter how you look at it, this whole shit storm we've got brewin' is going to be daytime talk show worthy. Maybe even a two parter."

Raphael arched an eye ridge skeptically. "Yeah?"

"Uh yeah," Stella nodded adamantly. "Think about it. We got the perfect older brother still ridden with guilt for leavin' years ago so he's going to be agonizing about what to say about the two of us leaving, just like he did. He's also now married to what you've described as a fuckin' hell hound named, Tina?" Raphael nodded so she continued. "Okay so we've got Tina who's pissed that I never showed to witness their blessed nuptials even though I was in fuckin' Tibet when I heard about this shit so there was no way I could- you know that doesn't matter. Anyway, then we've got the brainiac and his ice queen named-," Stella furrowed her brow as she tried to remember Donnie's new wife's name.

"Hera," Raphael interjected.

"Thanks, Hera, stupid name by the way. Anyhow, they somehow pulled the sticks out of their proper asses just long enough to get into trouble and earn themselves a shot gun wedding which took place only a few days ago and are currently expecting to lay their little bundles of joy any time now. Lay as in she's going to lay a coupla' goddamn eggs. Now thrown into this mix of hormones we've got the shy bookworm, Demi short for Demeter, as well as Artie, the horrifying ball of cuteness to whom you lost your v-card."

"I think I see your point," Raphael agreed.

"Oh wait, I'm not done," Stella assured him. "In the thick of all of this is our eccentric and highly excitable younger brother who has decided to document this entire shit storm with video. Have I forgotten anything?" She paused for a moment before snapping her fingers. "That's right, how could I have neglected to mention that in the middle of all of this is our elderly soap opera addicted father who just so happens to be a rat with a Japanese accent who teaches Ninjutsu and lives in a sewer?"

"Well when you put it like that-," Raphael trailed off.

"Raph, I haven't even gotten to the fact that none of them know you're coming, they certainly don't know we're sleeping together, and the last time I saw any of them, three years ago, I more or less told them to back the fuck off and not to bother looking for my ass."

"Okay so it's definitely a two parter, maybe even a week long special with the possibility of a six month check in," he admitted with a smirk. "Is it bad that I'm kinda' lookin' forward to how much hell we're gonna raise when we walk through those doors?"

"Oh hell no. I've been plannin' my grand reentrance for a while but never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine this shit. This is goin' to be fuckin' epic, I live for this kind of chaos!"

"You and me both Stel. Hell raisers for life." He held out his mitten covered fist.

"Fo' life," she agreed bumping her fist with his.

Raphael took a deep breath as he looked down at her, all sense of fun gone from his voice. "So I'll see you in two days right?"

"Yeah. Don't worry you'll recognize me, I'll be the one causing the shit storm." She assured him. While it wasn't ideal, it had been necessary to drop him off in Jersey as the boat was certainly going to be inspected once she docked since Stella was bringing it in from abroad and it would be nearly impossible to hide a six foot talking turtle aboard such a small vessel during the inspection.

Also, they had decided that showing back up at the lair separately would be much more dramatic than together since no one knew they had found one another. It was the kind of havoc they lived for. "Alright well just- watch your ass. Don't do nothin' stupid," Raphael requested leaning in for one more kiss before disembarking.

"Raph just go," Stella laughed into the kiss before pushing him forward onto the dock. "Like I said, I've got this shit handled. Besides, if you really need to get a hold of me I did give you my cell phone number," she reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah. But seriously Stel, if you're even a minute late I'm huntin' your ass down and draggin' ya back. Ya got me?"

"I gotcha," she reassured him. "And I promise, I won't be late. Now go, before you miss your fuckin' ride," she pointed toward the cab she had managed to order over the phone. "It's already paid for, tip and all. Just don't let your scarf and hat slip and you'll be good."

"Aight'," he sighed. "Love ya Stel."

"Love you too, now go!"

Twelve hours later, Stella had finally finished with customs and after docking at a private marina in the New York harbor and was sitting in the back of the cab that was to drop her and her bags off at the Hotel Carter. While she would have preferred heading back to her old apartment nothing would scream 'I'm here' more than moving back into her old apartment above the store April and Casey were currently running in her absence.

In the end it didn't matter much anyway as she was planning on spending the remainder of the next two days getting a number of affairs in order before making her grand entrance which would, incidentally, coincide with Christmas perfectly after which time she planned eventually to escape from the lair and return topside to check on her store.

After checking into what could only be described as one of the most disturbingly dirty tourist haunts in New York City, Stella deposited her bags before setting out for her first meeting of the day.

Walking around the city, she couldn't suppress the familiar feeling of a New York Christmas that began to course through her veins, raising her excitement level. The constant thrumming of the city life made her heart beat just a little bit faster and she found herself looking at everything with new eyes as she noted the changes to the city she had called home for most of her life.

As she made her rounds, Stella couldn't help but stop every so often to press her nose to a particularly attention catching store window before tearing herself away only to have her attention snapped up again moments later by some new wonder. It had been that way ever since she was a child. Something about the decorations and overwhelmingly magical quality of the season always lit her up inside and made focusing on much else immensely more difficult.

Growing up, she and Michelangelo had managed to sneak out, sometimes without Raphael if they were stealthy enough, to explore their own winter wonderland. They would spend hours wandering the sidewalks after dark staring wide eyed at the fantastical window displays and the giant Christmas trees. Of course every year they also got caught by either Splinter or if they were particularly unlucky, Leonardo, but that never stopped them from doing it again the next year.

Raphael had never enjoyed those late night winter excursions as much as he was known to be a bit of a pessimist and at times, especially as a teenager, he was notorious for pointing out what they didn't have rather than appreciating what they did have leaving the two dreamers in his company feeling a bit cheated by his lack of Christmas spirit. He had only ever tagged along because his two best friends, although he would swear until he was blue in the face that Mikey was not his best friend in any way shape or form, were going and as a rule of thumb wherever Stella went Raphael was sure to follow.

By the end of her first day back in New York, Stella was exhausted and freezing. Having lived in a fair number of more tropical locations over the course of her travels had apparently made her much more aware of the freezing temperatures now plaguing the city and she was thankful she had thought to don a rather thick coat before leaving the hotel that afternoon. After picking up a quick bite to eat, Stella returned to the hotel and holed up until morning.

The next day donned hazy and cold but Stella was not stayed by the threat of snow that hung heavy in the air, instead she was spurred onward onto the bustling streets to tie up the last of her loose ends before returning to the lair.

Having either the best or possibly some of the worst luck ever, she almost ran right into Casey and April who were pushing a rather large jogging stroller around a small very cramped store specializing in exotic teas in Greenwich. It was only a sudden cry from inside the blanket covered stroller that saved Stella from their notice and allowed her to slip out the door of the shop without incident. Offering her thanks to the heavens she vowed to buy the small bundle of pink she had glimpsed amongst the fuzzy blankets something awesome for Christmas, making her next stop the giant toy store in Times Square.

That night, with her arms laden with packages of various shapes and sizes, Stella stumbled into her bleak hotel room in order to begin the tedious task of wrapping her many purchases just so.

She had just finished tying her last bow when the sound of her phone interrupted the stream of music she had been piping through the small room. Digging through a pile of multi colored papers and ribbons, she finally located the small device and hit answer.

"Lo?" She grunted as she began separating the multi-shaped packages into piles.

She was going to need all of her ninja training to get this load into the sewers and to the lair without being seen by either people on the streets or Donatello's security system, getting Mikey and Artie's gifts into the lair undetected was going to be a feat in and of itself. Maybe she'd just leave some of her load in one of the storage closets near the manhole she planned to use and retrieve it all later.

"Hey," Raphael's voice whispered into the phone.

"Hey yourself," she grinned while balancing the small phone on her shoulder and looking around for the pen she was certain she had seen only moments ago. "What's up?"

"Nothin' just-," he paused for a moment and sighed, "just missed your ass." He admitted quietly causing her grin to widen. "Can' really ya know, talk or nothin' but I just wanted to make sure we're still on."

Stella laughed at how nervous he sounded over the phone. "We're on, I promise. Just a few more hours," she assured him. "How goes it?" She asked as she remembered that the missing pen was currently holding her long curly hair off of her neck.

He let out a dark chuckle. "It's even betta' than I imagined."

She pulled the pen out of place and felt her heavy curls spill back around her head and down her back. "Really? Why?" She asked getting more excited by the moment.

"Can' tell ya, but jus' wait. I swear this is not real life."

"Ah now I can' wait!" She gushed with a giggle.

"Well get your ass down here," he hissed before uttering a low curse. "Shit I gotta go, jus' hurry," he urged before hanging up leaving her laughing. Glancing at the clock, she noted that it was now nine o'clock on Christmas Eve leaving her just a few more hours to work before making her grand entrance. With a renewed sense of vigor, she began addressing each of the exquisitely wrapped packages before tucking them safely inside of the large sea bag she had brought along expressly for this purpose.

It wasn't until just after midnight that Stella bundled herself up against the cold and slung the bag over her shoulders before grabbing a small carrier in each hand. She was ready, or at least she was pretty sure she was ready. The manhole she would be using was located near 33rd and as she was currently on W 43rd she had a bit of a trek ahead of her before she even got into the sewer system.

After twenty minutes of trekking through the driving snow that had begun to fall around the city, Stella was relieved to drop into the darkness of the familiar sewer system. While it certainly wasn't the cleanest part of New York City it sadly wasn't the dirtiest either. After stowing the bulk of her load in an unused storage closet she had used for years to hide various objects, Stella resumed her trek toward her family's lair while on high alert for any sign of Donnie's advanced surveillance system.

It had been necessary for her to use a well-traveled manhole to enter the sewer so as not to set off any alarms. Had she descended into the sewers any nearer to the lair she would have immediately tripped the surveillance cameras located throughout the sewers, ruining any chance she had of making a truly epic grand entrance.

After a few more minutes of traveling through the darkness, Stella caught sight of the first of the cameras. She silently thanked Raphael for telling her about the new surveillance blind spots as they had changed significantly since she had left.

Making sure to stay to the right, Stella placed her load on a beam above her head before swinging herself up as well and creeping past the camera that was trained on the stagnant water below. Once past the camera it was necessary for her to climb back down before ducking under a motion sensor near the ceiling and diving through an array of beams set at various angles that would trigger a series of hidden cameras.

After what felt like hours, Stella found herself standing outside of the entrance to her childhood home nearly hyperventilating. She was mere seconds from turning around and running away when she felt the familiar buzz of her cell phone in her pocket. Carefully placing her load on the ground she withdrew the small device and couldn't help the small smile that played across her face when she saw that it was a text from Raphael.

'You have three minutes to get your ass through the fucking door before I hunt you down like an animal.'

"Aww how sweet, he misses me," she whispered to herself while slipping the phone back into her pocket and retrieving her packages. Closing her eyes for a moment, Stella focused herself before beginning the best break-in of her life.


	15. Chapter 15

Using only muscle memory, Stella flawlessly performed the series of movements necessary to open the door of her family's hidden lair. 'Stupid' she thought as the door slid silently open. 'Donny takes the time to change the security system in the pipes but neglects to change the locks on the door. Just sloppy really.'

As the door slid silently shut behind her, she immediately made for the deepest shadows of the old abandoned subway station while remaining on high alert. The layout of the station had certainly changed since she had slipped away all those years ago she noted as she looked around. Gone were many of the old remnants of her and her brother's teenage years replaced instead with what she supposed were meant to be accent pieces.

While they were growing up the main gathering area in lair had taken on the appearance of a college dorm. A wall of TV's had taken up one end of the room while a collection of old arcade games had crowded the walls. Old couches and beanbag chairs had filled the space and towers of video games, movies, comic books, and various bits tech equipment had littered the floor. Overall it had been messy but in a homey, well-loved kind of way. Now the area was clean and well organized with designated spaces for everything. The old couch had been replaced with newer, more updated furniture while potted plants and matching lamps finished the look.

Hell, she noted, there was even some framed modern art on the walls. Stella wrinkled her nose at the orderliness of it all. Mikey had mentioned 'the great cleansing' numerous times but never had she thought it would have come to this, it was disturbing.

Crouching in the shadows, Stella kept low as she scanned the area for any sign of life. Other than the light coming out from under Raphael's door and the glow of the meticulously decorated Christmas tree she found none. Taking a chance since she knew he was awake, she decided to change her plans and darted across the room towards Raphael's door. As silently as possible she dashed into the room only to be greeted with a Sai at her neck.

"Hey baby," she drawled playfully as she batted the weapon away and stepped further into the room.

"What're you doin' here?" He hissed as he replaced his weapon on his cluttered bureau and moved to help her with some of her load.

Stella shrugged and allowed him to take the twin carriers from her hands before swinging her backpack off of her shoulders and onto the floor. "Seemed like a good idea. Why?" she asked as she looked back up. "Should I go?"

"Oh hell no," Raphael whispered as he moved one of his large hands to cup her face. "I'd ratha' you stayed in here anyway that way I don' have ta share ya." Lowering his head, he captured her lips with his own and pressed himself against her, wedging her much smaller form between himself and the door. "Missed ya," he breathed against her neck as he began to move his mouth lower.

Stella felt her head begin to swim with lust and had to fight to clear her mind. "Raph, Raph," she hissed, "we've got to, um…" she trailed off for a second before she snapped back to her senses. "Raph we've gotta stop otherwise Christmas is going to end up even more twisted than we imagined when they find us in bed together."

Raphael let out a heavy breath before dropping his head to her shoulder. "Fine," he muttered gathering her into his arms for a hug, "but for tha record I think this woulda' been a much more fun option."

"Noted," Stella chuckled before placing a chaste kiss on the top of his head. "Now come and help me put this crap under the tree before we rearrange it."

"Oh heh, guess you saw that shit too huh?"

"Yeah it's disturbing. Who decorates a Christmas tree so-," she searched for just the right word.

"Anal retentively?" Raphael suggested with a cheeky grin.

"Not really the phrase I was going for but it works. What the hell? Where are all of our homemade Christmas ornaments?"

"Stel you have no idea what life is like around here. Everything is so, so, clean and minimalistic it's- uh! It pisses me off all the fuckin' time but no one gives a shit about what I tink' since apparently all I need is a hug and some understandin'. What they're not fuckin' understandin' is that I don't fuckin' hug. I mean unless it's you a course," he added when she raised an eyebrow at their current position, "but they don' need to know that shit."

"You poor baby," she chuckled quietly and disentangled herself from his arms. "Come on," she opened his door and slipped back out into the living area, "help me make it better."

Following quickly behind her, Raphael went straight to work on rearranging the ornaments on the Martha Stewart worthy Christmas tree while Stella worked to unpack the gifts she had managed to drag through the sewer.

"I know I'm gonna regret askin' but what's in these little carriers?" Raphael whispered as he eyed the identical crates he had taken out of Stella's hands earlier while he continued moving ornaments around.

Stella smirked evilly. "Trouble in a box," she replied. "Now don't worry about those, you've gotta get out of here and I need to get out of sight before we get caught."

"Hold on," the red banded turtle straightened back up and finished moving a few key ornaments around before he nodded his head in approval. "Alright, the mission is now in your capable hands, good luck." He whispered with a mock salute and a quick kiss before slinking back into his room and quietly closing the door, once again leaving Stella on her own.

As soon as his door had shut completely, Stella began making her way toward her father's quarters. She figured she owed him a proper hello before all hell broke loose. Without difficulty, she slid open the door to her father's quarters before sliding it shut behind her.

All at once she was inundated with the comforting smells and treasured memories of her childhood. Every surface of the small room was covered in a hodgepodge of artifacts ranging from candles and photos to handmade gifts and trinkets. With a smile, Stella immediately sank to her knees in front of the elderly rat who was currently meditating upon a worn woven rug in the middle of the room. She bowed her head respectfully, "Sensei."

Splinter breathed in deeply before a smile began playing across his features as he came out of his meditative state. "My daughter, you have returned at last. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too Dad," she replied before springing out of her kneeling pose and jumping forward into her father's arms and pressed her face into the warm fur around his neck. "I'm sorry I was gone so long, I just needed-time," she sighed.

Splinter nodded as he smoothed down her wayward curls. "All is forgiven," he assured her while rubbing comforting circles on her back. "I trust your mission has been successful?" He asked once she had loosened herself from around his neck.

Stella wiped away a stray tear before nodding. "It has I'm in a much better place than I was when I left and I feel like I've finally found some sense of purpose."

The elderly rat smiled. "And your side project?" He asked. "How is that coming along?"

"I've done exactly as you instructed and I've found out that this goes much further than we ever thought. There is still much work to be done but the seeds have been planted," Stella replied.

"Excellent work Stella," he complimented kindly. "Now tell me, what has happened since we last saw one another?" The next several hours until daybreak were spent catching up on events that had transpired in each of their lives that short phone conversations and intermittent letters had not been able to convey. The only thing Stella left out was her reunion with Raphael as she was fairly certain her father was aware of where his wayward son had been for the past few weeks whether Raphael knew it or not. It wasn't until the clock in the lair chimed five that the two left off their discussion with a promise to resume at a later time.

"I assume you'll be wanting to surprise Michelangelo?" Splinter asked.

Stella smiled and nodded as she imagined the look on her brother's face when he woke up. "How did you-," she trailed off when he tapped his nose. "Oh, yeah," she chuckled. "I hope that's okay."

"I'm certain he will be quite thrilled with what you've brought him. He has matured immensely over the past few years though we sometimes neglect to notice that," Splinter admitted with a small frown. "Well I suppose it is only fair that time I share you with your brothers," Splinter sighed, "though I warn you Stella. Your brothers love you and have certainly missed you but some members of our small family have taken your absence quite hard and will be more, difficult to win over."

"I understand," Stella replied with a nod.

"Well you had better go now before Leonardo wakes if you'd like to escape demonstrating everything you've learned while you've been abroad before breakfast."

"Of course, thank you Daddy," Stella smiled warmly before placing a kiss on his whiskered cheek and slipping out the door.

Quietly, Stella retrieved one of the crates Raphael and placed under the tree before she padded stealthily down the worn stone hallway toward her brother's room. Raphael had assured her that things had changed very little in the orange banded turtle's room and she was counting on that being true. Keeping a wary eye out for any early risers, she slipped undetected into the disaster Mikey called a room.

If Stella had thought getting past Donny's security system had been painful, the current living conditions in Mikey's room were far more difficult to traverse. Carefully picking her way through the piles of discarded odds and ends without disturbing anything was nearly impossible but somehow she managed. Finally she made it to the edge of his loft bed and looked directly into his sleeping face. 'Aw how cute,' Stella thought sarcastically as she surveyed the small puddle of drool collecting under his open mouth.

"Alright, here you go," she whispered as she unlatched the front of the small carrier and withdrew a small bundle of orange fur. With a quick pat, she placed the small kitten on Michelangelo's chest before sneaking back out of his room and into the kitchen where Splinter was already making a cup of tea.

"All done?" Splinter asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought for sure I would have heard-," just then a scream shattered the early morning silence. Splinter shot Stella an amused glance that she studiously avoided, focusing instead on an old photograph of her grappling with Leonardo when they were about eight and she was actually bigger than he was that was propped up on a new kitchen hutch.

All around the lair doors were thrown open as the sleepy occupants streamed grumpily forth some clutching weapons while others looked like they had been lucky that they had managed to find the door at all. "Michelangelo!" Leonardo's tired voice scolded from the living area. "Would you calm down? What's with the screaming? What's wrong?"

"Sorry bro," the smaller turtle apologized sheepishly. "No emergency, I just- it's Christmas and I-"

"Artie, what are you doing? No gifts until Master Splinter joins us. Honestly! " Another voice scolded before sucking in a surprised gasp. "My tree!" The voice shrieked. "Michelangelo what have you done to my tree? When I get done with you-," the voice threatened.

Rolling his eyes, Splinter decided to step in before things got out of control. He stepped into the room only to find his youngest son cowering under the angry glares of his two most proper sons and their wives.

"Yame," he commanded earning him sheepish looks and respectful bows from the occupants in the room. "What is the meaning of this? Instead of the merry voices of Christmas I hear a distinct tone of dissatisfaction and screaming which, admittedly, I expected."

From her vantage point in the shadows, Stella watched as Michelangelo opened his mouth to respond only to be cut off by the blue banded female, Hera who appeared close to tears. "He," she pointed her finger toward Mikey, "he ruined my tree! He knew how hard I worked to make it perfect and he defiled it! Just look at the dirty positions the cherubs are in!" She pointed toward a number of small cherubs who were in fact displayed in quite naughty positions. Raphael had apparently been feeling quite creative that morning.

"Cherubs do not do that!" she exclaimed. "He's, he's such a – such a - child," she accused angrily while a frazzled looking Donatello tried to talk her down by reassuring her that it could be fixed.

' Must be the pregnancy hormones,' Stella thought to herself as she watched the scene unfold.

"Hera, I swear," Mikey pleaded his eyes wide as he clutched the small bundle of fur protectively to his chest with one hand while holding a small video camera tightly in the other. "I didn't! I loved your tree- I mean yeah it was kinda' boring," he admitted but seeing her eyes widen he quickly backpedaled, "but-but I would never. Okay, maybe not never," he shrugged, "but not this time. This time it definitely wasn't me. I didn't even know half of those positions were possible."

"Well if it wasn' you who was it then?" The red banded female beside Leonardo demanded grumpily.

"It was me," Raphael grumbled from his spot against the wall. "I thought the tree could use a little sprucin' up. You gotta problem wit' that, Tina?" He sneered.

"I'll tell ya what I got a problem with-," Tina shot back before Leonardo placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a pleading look.

"Raph-," Leonardo warned as he stepped between the two.

"Oh my gosh a kitten!" Artie squealed when the small ball of fur still clutched protectively against Michelangelo's chest gave a tiny yawn. "Can I see?" She gushed as she rushed over to Mikey and began to examine the small creature in his arms.

"Alright who's the wise guy?" Tina demanded while glaring at Raphael who just held up his hands and shook his head. "Who got him-," she pointed toward Mikey, "a kitten?"

"Oh how cute, I want one!" Artie cooed before dashing toward the pile of presents. "Maybe I got one too. Oh my gosh I did, I did!" she squealed excitedly as she pulled open the door of the small carrier addressed to her and gently pulled out another small kitten and examined the tag around its tiny grey neck. "To Artie, Merry Christmas from Stella," she read aloud before she cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Wait, Stella? Isn't that-"

"Me," Stella answered as she stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room looking calm and collected unlike her bedraggled companions who were gaping at her like fish out of water.

Mikey was the first to recover. Jumping up excitedly he let out a woop and rushed toward her, scooping her up with his free arm and spinning around wildly while crushing her to his plastron. "Stella!" he yelled as he spun her around. "I knew it! I knew it! No one believed me but I believed! Holy crud, best Christmas EVER!" he exclaimed squeezing her tighter and tighter until she began to turn rather red.

"Mikey- can't breathe," she choked out. Looking quite sheepish Michelangelo put her down gently and relaxed his grip.

"Oh sorry Stel," he apologized.

Stella's feet were only on the ground for a split second before she felt another set of arms wrap tightly around her and she looked up to see Donny grinning crookedly down at her as he knocked their younger brother out of the way. "Stel- I'm so- I'm gonna- it's good to see you Stel," he stammered as he pulled her in for another hug before she felt herself being tugged out of his arms and into those of her older brother.

"Welcome home Stella," he muttered into her hair as he brought her in for a tight but respectable hug. "It's good to have you safe at home again," Leonardo grinned before stepping back and shooting Raphael a loaded glare over Stella's head that she was surely not meant to see.

"Stella," Raphael greeted coolly from his spot against the wall with a small salute identical to the one he had given her only a few hours earlier after putting the finishing touches on the tree.

"Raphael," she responded with a nod and a smirk.

"Oh my gosh, this is, this is- Thank you!" Artie squealed bouncing into view and wrapping her small green arms around Stella and squeezing tightly while two of her sisters looked on with varied looks of guarded mistrust as well as flashes of outright hostility. The third sister was oddly absent.

"I mean I don't actually know you but I love you! You're the best!" Artie gushed happily before releasing Stella and turning her attention back to the small kitten in her arms leaving everyone else standing around in an uncomfortable silence.

"So I um, do have more gifts," Stella said awkwardly as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other. "I just had a hard time carrying everything so I had to store them near the manhole cover off of 33rd. I'll just, uh, go get them while you all open presents."

"Raph will help you with that. Won't you Raph?" Leo asked in a tone that dared his volatile younger brother to argue.

"Yeah whateva'," Raphael shrugged pushing off the wall with a disinterested look on his face while everyone else tried unsuccessfully to hide the fact that they were shooting their gazes back and forth between the red banded turtle and the small human woman as though they were at a tennis match. "Afta you princess." He gave Stella a mocking bow and waited for her to leave the lair before following along behind her.

The pair walked along the dark passageway in silence until they had passed the last of the surveillance cameras at which time Stella found herself once again pressed against a wall as Raphael attacked her neck. "What-is-up with you and my neck?" Stella wheezed in between giggles as he began to pay attention to a particularly ticklish part of her neck.

Raphael just shrugged and continued his assault."I just- god Stel you're so hot," he moaned into her neck causing her to laugh harder. "Ugh," he harrumphed and dropped his head to her shoulder as he brought his hand up behind her to toy with one of her curls, "you're not supposed to laugh, you're supposed to be turned on."

"I am, I swear I am," she assured him with a smile while struggling to regain some composure. "I think you're totally hot, I'm just ticklish. It's not my fault."

Raphael looked up and smirked at her in the darkness. "Ya think I'm hot?"

"Um hum," Stella nodded before leaning in for a kiss and running her gloved hands back around his neck and down his front to hook into his belt and pull him more forcefully against her, "you know I do. Hot and kinda twisted."

"Twisted?" He muttered against her lips.

"Yeah in a completely sexy kind of way," she agreed between kisses. "What you did to that tree? Sick, but also kind of a turn on. I love it when you use your creative powers for evil."

He puffed up proudly. "It was good wasn' it?"

"Oh yeah. Those positions? Kinky Raph, definitely some kind of kinky."

"And a turn on?" He asked leaning in for another searing kiss.

"Fuck yeah," Stella moaned as his hand found its way under her shirt and he continued his assault on her mouth.

"Goddamnit," he groaned dropping his hand and pounding his fist against the wall over her head while trying to regulate his breathing. "I can' decide if this is the best or worst Christmas eva'," he panted. "Do ya have any idea how fuckin' hard it was not to just throw ya ova' my shoulda and run outta the lair this mornin'?"

"I'm think I've got a pretty good idea," she replied while she too tried to control her breathing and focused on playing with his belt and the fingers of his free hand. "Their faces were pretty classic though don't you think." She said after a moment.

"Ha, yeah they were," he agreed before stepping back and taking her hand as they continued their trek toward the old maintenance locker. "But seriously Stel, was it really fuckin' necessary to give those two knuckleheads kittens? They're gonna drive me fuckin' nuts, getting' in my room and fuckin' up my shit all tha time…"

Stella shrugged her shoulders. "Mikey always wanted a kitten so I figured Artie probably had too. Anyway, I kinda thought you'd be comin' back to the apartment with me," she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "I mean unless you don't want too which is totally cool. I mean I understand if-"

"No, no," Raphael stopped their progress for a moment. "I do, I uh want ta be whereva' you are. I just didn' know you planned on going back to the ol' place ratha' then stayin' down here. I mean it was kinda our place before ya left anyway I just wasn' sure you still wanted-"

"I do," she assured him. "I mean I love Dad and the guys but after living abroad for so long I'm not sure I could go back to you know living with everyone all the time. Plus with Donny havin' kids and everyone else it's going to be really crowded and no one's used to having me around anymore. Besides, I really don't feel like sharing you with anyone else right now."

"Good, cause I don' wanna share you eitha'," he agreed before placing a chaste kiss on her temple and starting forward again. "So whadda ya tink they're gonna do when they find out about this?" He asked raising their joined hands.

Stella furrowed her brow and bit her lip. "Not sure," she admitted. "Dad and Mike are gonna be cool with it 'cause ya know they're Dad and Mike. Donny will take awhile but he'll come around Leo though- him I'm not sure about. Either he's gonna get all righteous or if we're lucky he's gonna just be happy for us. It's those wives of theirs I'm not sure about."

Raph was silent for a few seconds. "Artie will be cool. She's annoyin' as shit but she's also pretty chill same as Mike. Hera's gonna have somethin' to say for sure and Tina's gonna have a problem just 'cause she hates ya for missin' her fuckin' weddin'. Demi won' say nothin' though, she's in her own world anyway."

"Oh yeah I noticed someone was missing this morning. Where was she?"

Raphael let out a barking laugh. "Best shit eva' Stel I'm tellin' ya we've definitely got a full week prime time special on our hands. I know you don' know her but she's always been all shy an awkward an shit 'specially round guys. Anyway turns out the lil' bookworm is shackin' up with Leatherhead."

"You're fucking with me."

"I swear. I can' make this shit up. Her sisters are all pissed 'cause she hasn' been comin' home at night but as much as they want ta they don' dare show up at LH's den and start shit 'cause you know that shit's just fuckin' unwise. It's been fuckin' hysterical."

"Do you ever wonder what Dad did wrong that we grew up to be such convoluted individuals?"

"Nah," Raphael replied as he pulled open the door of the old maintnence locker and threw the heavy sea bag over his shoulder as though it weighted nothing. "Besides I think he kinda enjoys it. Could ya imagine if we had all ended up boring and proper like Leo or even Donny? Yeesh," he shivered as Stella laughed.

"They're not that bad," she defended jokingly.

"They weren't that bad," he corrected her. "Now they're, god Stel they're fuckin' puppets, they've got no spirit. That's one of the reasons I'm so glad you're home."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. If you can' breathe some fuckin' life into this family no one can." He looked down and squeezed her hand.

"I'll try my best," she promised seriously.

"I know you will Stel."

Far too soon they reached the line of sensors and were forced to separate but not before engaging in another heated exchange that promised more in the future.

"I love you Raph."

"I love you too Stel. Now you ready to go poke the hornet's nest?"

Stella smirked. "I was born ready. Race ya back?"

"Loosa buys the beer?"

"Done," she agreed before taking off down the sewer pipe toward the lair door while Raphael, always a bit slower and currently laden down with a bulky bag of Christmas gifts struggled to keep up.


	16. Chapter 16

Predictably, Stella won the impromptu race with Raphael coming in hot on her heels. Unable to resist the urge to touch him, Stella brushed up against the large turtle slightly, earning a sharp intake of breath before she opened the door to the lair. A blast of warm, spice scented air greeted the two as they stepped inside from the freezing sewer.

"Oh my god it's true!" A voice shouted as Stella suddenly found herself engulfed in the arms of a familiar red head. "I was going to be so mad if Mikey was just messing with us by hinting that you were back," April gushed squeezing the smaller woman tightly.

April leaned back and looked down at the younger woman. "My god Stella if it wasn't Christmas I'd slap you back into last month for what you did to be in Morocco," April threatened before pulling her back into another tight hug.

"You are back aren't you?" She asked as she took a step back and scanned Stella from top to bottom with a critical eye as she allowed her arms to drop to her sides. "You aren't just stopping in?"

Stella bit her lip and shook her head as she unwound the warm wool scarf from around her neck and shrugged off her fitted leather jacket, hanging them on a nearby hook. "If you asking if I'm planning on leaving for a few years again, I'm not."

She watched as April and from her peripheral vision Raphael, narrowed their eyes slightly. Obviously neither had missed the fact that Stella had not really answered the question with a solid no.

She was confident that Raphael knew better than to say anything in front of the rest of the family, lest they invite the involvement of everyone present, but April had no such qualms. She raised a questioning eyebrow but apparently decided to let it slide for the time being although Stella had no doubt they would be discussing it later, hopefully in private.

"And you!" April scolded turning her focus to Raphael and storming over toward where he had dropped the bag of gifts. Pointing her finger accusingly, she began to berate the large turtle as though he were a naughty child rather than a full grown adult in his late-twenties. "You got a whole lot of nerve mister! Who do you think you are? Taking off without a word to anyone for over a month and then showing back up out of nowhere yesterday like it was no big thing with, with- is that a giant crack in your shell?" She demanded angrily while spinning him around to inspect Stella's handy work.

"Stella!" Casey shouted as he emerged from a crush of female turtles. He shot Raphael an apologetic look over April's shoulder as his wife continued to berate his best friend.

"Case! It's good to see you," Stella greeted the tall black haired man was carrying an armload of red and white fluff. She turned toward April's new husband's open arms with a smile and gave him a hug around his middle mindful of the armload of fluff. "And who's this?" she asked standing on tiptoe in order to better peer into the bundle held protectively in the large man's arms.

"This is Shadow," Casey announced proudly as he displayed the small sleeping infant snuggled safely in his arms. "We just adopted her six weeks ago," he explained as he gazed lovingly down at the small baby.

The brunette smiled down at the little girl dressed like a miniature Mrs. Claus. "She's really cute guys. Congratulations."

"Eh, we like her," Casey joked as he subconsciously readjusted her blankets and wiped a small stream of drool from the infant's face without blinking an eye.

With the energy of a small child on Christmas morning, Michelangelo elbowed his way past Raphael and April and squeezed his way into the small gathering, grabbing a hold of Stella's left arm and pulling her free of Casey's grasp.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cutest kid ever, super adorable, blah, blah, blah," Michelangelo mocked with a roll of his bright blue eye and a smile as he pulled his sister toward the main gathering area of the lair where April had finally been distracted by something Donatello had asked and Raphael had begun unloading Stella's meticulously wrapped packages. "I get it, the kids adorable. Now, can we get on with presents?" He demanded impatiently.

"Michelangelo!" Splinter scolded from his seat in the faded armchair that had somehow evaded being thrown out during the 'great cleansing'.

"Sorry Sensei," he muttered sheepishly lowering his head and shuffling his feet. "I just really wanna give Stella her presents."

Splinter looked slightly taken aback, obviously he had assumed that his youngest son had been demanding his own presents but nevertheless he regained his composure enough to scold Michelangelo gently about interrupting others.

"You got me a present?" Stella asked blankly as she was forced down into a worn beanbag that she remembered seeing in the corner of the orange banded turtle's room earlier that morning. Apparently it had been called into service since there were no more empty seats on any of the couches.

Mikey looked at her as though she were crazy. "Of course I got you a present Stel, it's Christmas," he explained as though she were stupid.

"But-"

"He gets you a present every year," Donny explained gently from the doorway to the kitchen as he emerged hold a cup of hot coffee. "Actually we all do. We figured you'd be back eventually so we've just been waiting to give them to you."

Stella felt her heart sink at the thought of her brothers picking out Christmas gifts for her year after year with her never showing up to receive them. It made her feel lower than dirt.

"It's okay Stel," Mike reassured her as he threw his arm around her shoulder and settled onto the large beanbag beside her, "I know you've been busy keeping us safe." He whispered with a wink.

"Eh, can we get on with this love fest and just open some freakin' presents already?" Raphael asked grumpily from nearby the recently rectified Christmas tree. "You all got ta open your presents while I was out there freezin' my shell off and playin' Santa Clause in the freezin' cold sewer."

"Uh yeah," Stella jumped up, eager to change the subject. "How about I pass out my gifts while Raphael opens the rest of his Christmas gifts?" she suggested. Without waiting for a reply she began bustling around the room, passing out the gifts Raph had recently unloaded from her sack.

"I uh- I hope you like it," she said while handing Donny his gift. "I'm sure you could easily design something better but-"

"Holy shell, Stella!" Donny exclaimed as he unwrapped a new iPad. "This model isn't even out on the markets yet, how did you-?"

Stella shrugged and moved past him to hand a swollen looking Hera her gift, which contained an assortment of exotic teas that Stella had collected over the course of her travels around the world as well as a First Edition printing of book of poetry Mikey had told her she liked to read. "I know a guy."

"You know a guy?" Donny repeated questioningly with a barely masked tone of disbelief while he deftly removed the packaging currently surrounding his new toy while his new wife thanked her politely and began carefully unwrapping the shiny paper from around her own package.

Withdrawing a much longer package from the pile, Stella presented Leonardo with a new set of custom designed, hand painted scabbards she had procured while in Japan.

Returning to the pile of gifts, she selected an oddly shaped, tubular gift which she presented to her father. "I hope you like it Father," she had said formally as she passed it into his open hands. "It took me quite some time to track it down but I can assure you, it is authentic."

Curious, everyone put down their own gifts to watch Splinter unwrap a protective tube containing an old scroll. With a furrowed brow, Splinter unrolled the rolled up parchment and inhaled swiftly. "Stella," he breathed astonished as his eyes darted across the surface of the parchment.

"What is it?" Artemis asked curiously as she and her new kitten peered over the elderly rat's shoulder.

"It is the family history of my Master Hamato Yoshi," Splinter explained as he looked deeply into his daughter's eyes his own bright with unvoiced feelings. "Thank you Stella, this is truly a most treasured gift."

"You're welcome Dad," Stella blushed before clearing her throat. "I uh- there's still more," she said as she continued to pass out her gifts.

For Casey and April she had a collection of masks from South America she knew they would appreciate as well as a gift for Shadow. "I actually saw you guys yesterday in Times Square," she explained sheepishly as she handed them Shadow's gift. "I would have said hello but-" she held up her hands and shrugged.

"Thank you Stella," April smiled as she took the proffered gift on her daughter's behalf.

Approaching the scowling red banded female at Leonardo's side, Stella held out a rather large gift. "I kinda went out on a limb with this one," she explained almost shoving the package into the female turtle's lap, "I'm really hoping I'm not totally off base on this."

Putting down his new scabbards, Leonardo leaned over curiously to watch his wife unwrap her gift. As soon as the last of the paper had been torn away he chuffed with amusement. "Oh she's got you pegged Tina," he laughed as soon as he saw the collection of bath salts, scented candles, and various other bath time related items as well as an incredibly warm blanket.

"How did you-" Tina asked eyeing her skeptically. It was obvious that the fed banded female didn't trust her but Stella could care less at the moment. If anyone bothered to ask she wouldn't hesitate to let it be known that she didn't trust the four sisters even a little bit, no matter how her brothers felt about them. Her trust had to be earned and that was something that was not easily done.

Stella shrugged her shoulders and smiled hesitantly. "Lucky guess," she replied unconvincingly as she tried unsuccessfully not to glance over to where Raphael was busy unwrapping his small collection of gifts from the others out of the corner of her eye.

"Is that so?" Tina asked following her gaze and raising a disbelieving eye ridge at Stella, something she chose to ignore responding only with a noncommittal 'uh-huh', before returning to her dwindling pile of gifts.

"So uh who's next," she muttered to herself as she shuffled through the pile. Rooting around she found her gifts for both Demi and Leatherhead and moved them to the small pile of gifts still under the tree, presumably for the pair to open sometime later that day, before pulling out Raphael's gift.

While she had certainly picked out more than one gift for him over the course of her stay in New York, she planned on giving those to him later, in a more private setting. The package she held now was something she had stumbled across and knew immediately that it was meant for him. It was a first printing, signed copy of Jurassic Park, his favorite book.

"Raph," she called out before tossing him his gift. The large terrapin didn't even look up as he caught his gift mid-air.

"So Stella," April began as she bounced a now wide awake Shadow in her lap. "Where are the rest of your things? I mean I assume you brought back more than just gifts, especially if you are planning on sticking around."

"Oh I did, I just left most of it back at my hotel. I figured I would move it back into the apartment later that is if the apartment hasn't been completely trashed while I've been gone."

"It's fine," Donny replied looking up from his new toy. "I was over there just last week checking on the wiring."

Leonardo's head jerked up from where he had been quietly examining his new scabbards. "You aren't planning on staying down here?"

"Well no actually," Stella shrugged her shoulders. "Not right now anyway. I've been gone a long time that moving right back in would just be a little too much."

Leo furrowed his brow and took on his Splinter Jr. tone of voice. "Stella, I really have to insist. We'll need to begin rebuilding the team dynamic immediately and with you living up there-

"'Ey Fearless lay off," interrupted Raphael. "If she says she doesn't want to say down here she doesn't have to. Not everyone exactly enjoys spending all of their time surrounded by all the," he cleared his throat obnoxiously and sneered, "love around here. Somma us like a lil' room ta breathe."

Leonardo snorted in disbelief. "What like you Raph? Is that why you left? Too much love down here for you to handle bro? Is that what's wrong with you? You can't understand any emotions other than anger and apathy?"

Raphael dropped Stella's still wrapped gift to the floor as he jumped to his feet and put his hand to his Sais. "Don' push me Leo," he warned gruffly.

"Or what?" Leo asked as he too rose to his feet and glowered at his younger brother. "Will you run off to cry and feel sorry for yourself again or are you going to finally fess up to where you were and what you were actually doing?"

"Guys," Donny interrupted trying to get their attention and receiving only seething glares in response.

"Where I was is none a your business, Leonardo," Raphael scowled.

"As your leader, Raphael, I'd have to disagree," Leo snapped.

"Well maybe I don' want you as my leada," the red banded turtle argued back earning a collective groan that echoed throughout the lair at the argument that had been ongoing for the past thirteen years or more.

"You know I think I'm going to go back to the hotel to pick up my things," Stella announced loudly. "I'll just open my gifts later. Hey Mikey you wanna come?"

"Shell yeah!" Mikey jumped up excitedly from where he had been watching his two oldest brothers repeat the same fight they'd been having for years. "Klunk just fell asleep," he gestured to the small orange kitten curled up at Master Splinter's feet, "so I'm good. Where are ya staying anyway Stel?"

"The Hotel Carter."

"The- are you kiddin' me Stel? You're actually stayin' in that flea circus?" He snorted in disbelief. "Wow Stel, you're even braver than I thought." He said it with such a note of reverence in his voice that Stella began to seriously question his sanity.

"Um thanks?" she replied wrinkling her brow and looking at him as though he had just grown a second head. "Anyway I just picked it cause it's cheap and near Times Square."

"You know what else is cheap and near Times Square?" Leonardo quipped while still trying to stare Raphael down, "Home. In fact, it's so cheap that it's free."

Stella heaved a heavy sigh. Apparently it didn't matter how much time passed in this family, they were apparently all bound to have the same arguments until they died. "Leo-"

"No seriously," he argued finally giving up on winning the staring contest and turning his attention back to his wayward younger sister. "I don't understand what all this nonsense about you staying somewhere else. You've been gone three years Stella I mean I know I can't judge but-"

"Then don't Leo," Stella interrupted. "Look I'm sorry I was gone so long but I had my reasons just like you did and I'd be happy to tell you all what those reasons were, later," she clarified. "But right now like Raph said, I'm too used to being out on my own to move back into," she gestured to the fully occupied lair, "all of this. Just give me some time."

"But-"

"Actually Leo," Stella cut him off before he could start again, "that wasn't a request. That was a demand. I don't need your permission to do anything and if I don't want to stay down here you can't make me." Leonardo blinked a few times but said nothing. He wasn't used to anyone other than Raphael speaking to him in such a way and even then it was never done in such a way.

Stella decided that was certainly her cue to go. "Look like I said I'm gonna go. I'll be by later but for now I'm gonna head out, pick up my stuff, and ya know get reacquainted with the city. You comin' Mikey?" She called as she slipped her jacket back on and wrapped her scarf back around her neck.

Michelangelo stuck his head out of his room, a sweatshirt only halfway on. "Yeah just gimme a second to grab a jacket," he called back.

"Ya know, I'm feelin' a bit smothered myself," Raphael exclaimed suddenly causing quite a few eyebrows and eye ridges to rise. "I think I'll go out for some air too."

"Uh, yeah, okay," Stella replied dumbly as she watched him dash off as well, presumably to grab some warm clothes in order to blend in above ground. "Dad it was good to see you, I'll be back soon," she promised as she gave Splinter a quick kiss on the cheek. "April, Casey it's been real. If you're here when I get back I'll see you then otherwise I'll get in touch later this week and we can catch up on everything if that's okay."

April nodded from her spot on the couch, "Sure Stella, I'll hold you to it. I have a feeling we have a lot to talk about."

"Right, well if you two are ready," she said as she turned her focus toward the two turtles currently bundled up in heavy coats and woolen caps and waiting impatiently by the front entrance. "I'll see everyone later then. Um, Merry Christmas," she finished feeling like a lame ass.

"Later dudes and dudettes, don't wait up!" Mikey called out cheerily over his shoulder while Raphael simply saluted and turned swiftly on his heel before heading out the secret doorway.


	17. Chapter 17

After leaving the lair, the trio made their way to the nearest manhole cover and ventured topside where they stepped out into the aftermath of the blizzard.

"Ah," Mikey took a deep breath of the air in the alley they were currently standing in, "smell that fresh winter air."

Stella wrinkled her nose as she climbed out of the sewer and dusted herself off. "Ugh. Mikey I don't know about fresh winter air. All I can smell is car exhaust and two day old garbage."

"Well yeah but under all a that," Mikey replied as Stella rolled her eyes. "Maybe you're just not used to city smells yet," he suggested.

"Yeah maybe," she agreed as she stomped her feet and rubbed her arms in an effort to keep warm. "You done there chief? Or you need a little help?" She asked turning toward Raphael who had just finished sliding the manhole cover back into place.

"Nah, I got it. Thanks for ya help princess."

"Anytime," she replied with a flip of her hair before looping her arm through Mikey's. "So butterbean where to first?"

"I thought you wanted to get your stuff?" Raphael huffed as he too dusted himself off and readjusted his hat to better hide his features.

"Eh," she waved her gloved hand, "we've got plenty of time. I know, how about we hit Fifth Avenue and check out the holiday decorations, for old time sake?" she suggested.

"In tha middle a da day?" Raph asked.

"You don't think you two can blend in enough to look at the window dressings on Fifth Avenue during a snow storm on Christmas day?" she challenged quirking an eyebrow.

Raphael just rolled his eyes as Michelangelo perked up immediately. "Of course we can my little dewdrop," he cooed sweetly before pulling Stella forward and encouraging her to skip with him every so often.

"Oh geezeus," Raphael grumbled under his breath as he shoved his hands in his pockets and followed the flamboyant pair toward Fifth Avenue.

Stella couldn't contain her peals of laughter as she watched Michelangelo imitate some of the more creative mannequins in the shop windows nor could she contain her delight when Raphael finally relented and joined in the fun. It was all so reminiscent of the many times they had snuck out as children that part of her wished it could be Christmas every day.

Of course all good things must eventually come to an end and after a few hours in the cold Stella and the turtles were all chilled to the bone and ready to head indoors. The storm which had previously been quite mild had gotten worse while they had been playing around and after stopping by the Hotel Carter to pick up Stella's things and allowing Mikey to look around the hotel's hallowed halls of filth for a few minutes, it ended up taking them much longer than usual to make the trek back to the old apartment. They didn't make it back to the old building until after dark.

"Alright, tell me the truth, how bad is it?" She asked as she eyed the stairs apprehensively from the small entryway.

"Whas that?" Raphael asked as he pulled the front door closed and stomped his boot clad feet on the entryway rug to knock off as much snow as possible.

"The apartment," she clarified. "How badly did you trash it, really? Be honest."

"Raph trash the apartment," Mikey snorted as he too stomped his feet on the rug. "Yeah right. That would mean he would have to actually have had to step foot in this building. He hasn't been here since-"

"Tha's enough Mikey," Raphael growled at his little brother before turning to Stella. "It's fine. Like Donny told ya earlier he's been maintainin' it for ya." Stella furrowed her brow but chose not to comment. She had assumed that Raphael had used it at least occasionally while she was gone, he had live there just as much as she had, but apparently not. She was more than a little taken aback by the fact that from the sounds of it he hadn't even stepped foot in this building since she had left.

"Hey Stel you got the key?" Michelangelo asked when they reached the small landing at the top of the stairs.

"Oh yeah I've got it here somewhere," she shuffled around the boxes in her arms then searched her pocket for a minute before pulling out her old keychain. "Here it is." She announced while passing him the keys and waiting for him to open the door.

As promised, everything was as it should be when they entered the small apartment. Reaching over to flip on the lights Stella was surprised to see that even the plants she had left behind were still alive. Apparently Donny or someone was up here even more than she had originally thought.

"Alright, where da ya want this stuff?" Raphael asked as he hauled up the last of Stella's suitcases.

"The bedrooms fine," she replied as she plopped the pizzas and two six packs of beers on the counter. "So who's hungry?" She asked before jumping out of the way as Michelangelo dove for the hot pizza much like some of the pigeons she had seen in Venice did to unsuspecting tourists. "Well I guess that answers that question," she muttered as she soon found herself once again being jostled as Raphael joined the fray and knocked the smaller turtle aside in order to get the biggest piece of the pie.

After the dust had settled, Stella cranked up the heat in the ancient apartment and settled on the couch next to Raphael with her pizza while Michelangelo sat across from them in an armchair watching them like a hawk.

"Okay that's it, I can't take this anymore," he announced after a few minutes of silence. "What's the deal with you two?" He demanded crossing his arms over his plastron and tilting his head to the side.

"What's that?" Stella asked innocently as she reached for another slice of the pizza that lay open before them.

Raphael flipped the lid off of his second bottle of beer and took a sip. "Yeah Mike. Whatta ya yappin' about?"

"Yeah, yeah real cute guys. Act like you don't know what I'm talkin' about." He grumbled. "After Stella left neither of you wanted to even hear the other one's name but now everythings all sunshine and rainbows," he paused for a second, "okay well not sunshine and rainbows but it's all- I don't know what you two consider good, motorcycles and, and-"

"We like ice cream," Stella supplied helpfully.

Raphael nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah the one wit them lil' potato chips covered in chocolate," Raphael added.

"Ooh yeah! That's the one," Stella agreed. "It's got caramel swirls and shit in it too."

"Okay that's just weird and kinda gross," Michelangelo replied looking slightly repulsed before shaking his head. "Well whatever, that's not really the point."

"Oh really," Raphael said relaxing back into the couch, "well then just what is ya point Mike?"

"The point," Mikey huffed, "is that I'm callin' bullshit. I think you," he pointed at Stella, "and you," he turned his finger toward Raphael, "are up to something and I wanna know what."

Stella shrugged before reaching over and snatching the beer from Raphael's hand and taking a long gulp earning herself a dirty look before he snatched it back. "What makes you think we're up to something?"

"Don't toy with me Stella," Mikey warned with a waggle of his finger before he began to pace in front of the pair while they watched him with identically innocent faces. "I know the two of you better than anyone else. In fact I think it's safe to say there is no one in the world who knows the two of you better than I do and if I say you're up to something, you're up to something."

Stella glanced at Raphael out of the corner of her eye and he just shrugged in response and took another swig of his beer. "Alright," she sighed after a moment. "But you have to promise not to tell anyone about it just yet. Can we trust you Mikey?"

"Stel, I'm Mikey," he grinned.

"That's what we're worried about bro," Raphael added setting his now empty bottle of beer on the nearby end table and leaning forward seriously. "You know we trust you with our lives man but we also know you love to flap your gums about shit like this."

"Shit like-," Michelangelo paused and narrowed his eyes at the two of them as he began to really study the pair sitting on the couch in front of him. All of a sudden his eyes grew comically round and he let out a dramatic gasp. "Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!" he shouted beginning to bounce in place as he whipped his head back and forth, "You two aren't- you are! You are! You two are together!" He accused jumping onto an armchair and pointing at them accusingly.

"Mikey," Raphael growled out.

"Nomygosh!" Michelangelo gushed, ignoring Raphael's warning tone completely and grinning like a maniac. "This is huge! What're Leo and Donny gonna say?" He gasped dramatically and clutched at his chest. "What's Master Splinter gonna say?"

"They're not gonna have anythin' ta say 'cause they ain't gonna find out, are they Mikey?" Raphael growled threateningly as he jumped up from the couch, grabbed the smaller turtle by the back of his shell, and lifted him back onto the floor.

"At least not until we tell them," Stella added as she joined the two. "Please Mikey," she clasped her hands together in front of her and looked up at him with her best puppy dog eyes, "please let us be the ones to tell them."

Raphael put his arm around Stella's shoulder and Michelangelo narrowed his bright blue eyes at the action. "Alright," he said finally, "but only 'cause I like you two crazy kids and," he added as an afterthought, "I want to make sure to get this all on video."

Stella grinned and flung her arms around her younger brother. "Thank you Mikey!" she chirped happily. "I knew I could count on you."

"So uh, you cool with this bro?" Raphael asked as he rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. He and Stella had talked about their family's reaction to them getting together and although they had both taken the stance that even if the family didn't approve it wouldn't change anything between them, she knew that they both valued Mikey's opinion quite a lot.

"I'm cool," Mikey grinned offering his fist for a bump. "So when did this little," he brought his hands together and drew a little heart in the air, "love connection take place?" He asked curiously. "No way you two were hookin' up when you went to get the presents. Unless you did. Did you?"

"Nah," Raph shook his head before reconsidering, "Well maybe a little or I was tryin' anyway but Stel here wouldn' stop laughin' so-"

Stella nudged him hard in the side "Raphael," she hissed, "that's not what he meant by hooking up."

"Shit woman, you've got the world's sharpest fuckin' elbows you know that?" He griped. "Anyway, I had to track her all the way down to some godforsaken island in the middle of the Caribbean first. Then she damn near killed me."

"Killed you?" She glared at him indignantly. "I fuckin' saved your sorry ass from dying from an infection although maybe I shoulda just left you lyin' in the middle of the road durin' that hurricane. Anyway you're the one who tried to drown me as a thank you."

"Only 'cause ya deserved it," he argued back. "Sides, you're obviously not dead so I don' know what you're complainin' about."

"Yeah I'm not dead 'cause I kicked you ass and threatened to leave your sorry shell stranded on a desert island."

"Whateva' princess."

"Don't you whateva' me Raphie," she warned, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Wow," Michelangelo breathed appreciatively, drawing their attention away from one another and back toward their younger brother. "I almost forgot what this was like. You two really are made for each other."

"Whas' tha suppose ta mean?" Raphael demanded, narrowing his eyes menacingly.

Mikey held up his hands to show he meant no harm. "Nothin', just- I don't think there's anyone else in the universe who could keep up with the two of you. You guys just kinda' I don' know," he shrugged, "you fit I guess."

"Oh, well that's okay then," Stella conceded brightening considerably.

"So lemme get this straight. You," he pointed to Raphael, "stormed outta here and somehow found her," he pointed toward Stella, "living on an island in the middle of the ocean. Then you," he pointed back toward Raphael, "almost get yourself killed during a hurricane and somehow end up needing her," again he turned toward Stella, "to save your shell. After which you tried to kill her and then she beat you up."

"She didn' beat me up," Raphael griped.

"Yeah I totally kicked his ass," Stella interjected happily.

Michelangelo furrowed his brow. "Um okay. So you both tried to kill each other and then you decided you were in love?" he asked trying to get the story straight.

Raphael and Stella exchanged glances and shrugged. "Yeah kinda," Stella answered for the both of them.

"Dudes, you two are so fucked up!" Michelangelo laughed. "What would you have done if you had decided you hated each other?"

"Nukes," Raphael deadpanned as Stella nodded seriously in agreement while miming exactly what the proposed nuking would have looked like.

"Oh man this is too good! I'm so glad you guys are back," Mikey grinned as he snatched up another piece of pizza and began to munch happily. Stella grinned as she looked from one brother to the other before remembering what she had originally brought Michelangelo over for.

Hoping off the sofa she strode over to the counter, and retrieved the flat package she had been keeping safely out of the way of the pizza and beer before returning to the sofa.

"So Mikey I know I already gave you Klunk as a Christmas gift this morning but this is something just for you. Think of it kind of as an 'I'm sorry I was such as asshat and left you behind to deal with all of this shit' and thanks for always bein' there kinda present," she said before presenting him with a thick manila envelope devoid of any kind of decoration.

Mikey cocked an eye ridge at her but took the envelope anyway. "Ya know Stel, havin' ya back is really all I wante-," he paused mid thought as he withdrew a sheaf of legal looking documents. "Um Stel?" he looked up, "What exactly am I lookin' at here?" He asked as he began flipping through the papers.

"Lemme see that bonehead," Raphael quipped snatching the papers from his younger brother's hand and flipping through them as well. "Stel what the hell?" he asked quirking an eye ridge. "Ya bought Mikey a buildin'? What's he," he jerked his thumb toward the confused looking turtle, "gonna do with a buildin'?"

"I didn't buy him a building," Stella explained holding her hand out for Raphael to pass her the sheaf of papers. "I bought myself a building. I'm giving him a storefront to use, the one next to mine actually. I thought he might be interested in opening his own comic book store."

Michelangelo's jaw dropped and he stared from one sibling to the other as his big blue eyes grew progressively larger. "Ya-ya-you," Mikey stuttered raising a shaky green finger and pointing it toward his smiling older sister. "You-you-you-"

"Shit Stel you broke Mikey," Raphael joked as he waved a hand in front of the younger turtle's face and received no response. "Masta' Splinta' is gonna be pissed at you!" He reached out and slapped his younger brother upside the back of the head. "Spit it out Mike."

"You bought me, a comic book store," he finally managed to wheeze out.

"No," Stella corrected, "I bought you the storefront for a comic book store but I was hoping maybe you'd want to take me on as a silent partner in which case I'd be happy to provide the seed money to get it up and running."

"A silent partner. You mean I'd get to make all of my own business decisions? Like me, on my own? As in no one telling me what to do or how to do it?"

"Well yeah that's usually how it works. I mean I'd be there for you anytime but essentially yeah, you'd be your own boss. I thought maybe you'd like a little more independence and there's no doubt in my mind you'd be good at it. Besides, this way you can actually publish some of those comics you've been working on for the past couple a years."

Michelangelo resumed his slack jawed stare and both Raphael and Stella decided to let him process that information.

"Uh Stel," Raphael piped up, "how's Mikey, a walking talking mutant turtle, going to run a business?"

Stella shrugged. "It's New York City," she replied nonchalantly, "nothing surprises people anymore. Besides, I figured the shop could have kind of a cosplay thing going for it. You know everyone in costume. He could be the Turtle Titan everyday and no one would think anything of it."

Both turtles were silent for a moment as Stella watched the wheels in their heads begin to turn. "Ya know, that just mi-"

"Stella you're a genius!" Mikey shouted dropping his piece of pizza as he lurched forward and threw his arms around her middle before picking her up and beginning to spin.

"Well yeah," she laughed as she was twirled in circles around the small living room.

"Aight Lenny," Raphael laughed watching their antics, "betta put 'er down before she pukes all over your shell again."

"That was one time and in my defense we had just finished that epic kielbasa eating competition," Stella defended as she tried to regain her footing and lurched into the red banded turtle forcing him to reach out and grab her before she fell over.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Mikey groaned, suddenly managing to look a shade paler, "I've never looked at sausage of any sort the same way again."

"So anyway," Stella continued, trying to change the subject away from her past gastronomical eruptions, "I know it's a big commitment and I haven't given you any time to think about it but are you interested?"

"Am I- hell yeah I'm interested!" He shouted as he snatched the papers out of Stella's hands and began flipping through them with renewed vigor as though the legalese contained within the pages would suddenly begin to make sense to him.

"How about if I hold on to these?" Stella suggested as she watched him trying to figure out the city zoning paperwork he was currently studying. "We can go over this," she gestured to the papers, "another time. Anyway I've already got the keys," she said as she grabbed a small set of keys off of the counter, "so what if I take you over there now and you have a look around and see what you'd like to do with the space?"

Once again at a loss for words, Mikey nodded his head vigorously before snatching the keys out of her hand, racing out the door, and thundering down the stairs.

"I can' believe you bought the guy a buildin'," Raphael said with a shake of his head as they followed him down the stairs.

Stella rolled her eyes and grabbed Raphael's large hand with her much smaller one. "I didn't buy him a building. I got him a storefront, big difference."

"Oh oh I'm sorry that's right. You bought yourself a buildin' you just gave him the first floor." He rolled his eyes. "What the hell are you plannin' on doin' with the rest of the buildin'?" He asked as they reached the front door.

Stella grinned and began walking backward, still holding onto the large turtle's hand. "Little known fact. That building and this one used to be one until years ago when the owner decided to put up dividing walls so he could sell off half of the property for a profit. I was maybe planning on knocking down a few walls and expanding out a little, especially upstairs. How would you feel about a slightly larger apartment?"

"Would this slightly larger apartment have a slightly larger bedroom in which one could put a slightly larger bed?" He asked while waggling his eyeridge.

"That's certainly a possibility," Stella chuckled as she reached the door for the new building and stood aside as Raphael pulled it open for the both of them.

"Then I'm feelin' pretty good about it," he replied in a lower tone than usual before bending down and nipping at her ear playfully causing her to giggle as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down towards her.

"Hey I said I was cool with you guys bein' together. I didn't say I was cool with you getting all gushy in front of me," Mikey's voice scolded as he came out of the backroom, "it's weird. I mean, she is still my sister dude."

"Sorry Mike," Stella laughed as she dropped her arms from around Raphael's neck and turned to face her younger brother. "So, whadda ya think?"

"What do I think? I think this is the best 'sorry I left your butt behind to deal with this grumpy ass for three years' present anyone has ever gotten me."

"So there's one more thing," she said.

"Seriously there's more?" Raphael asked shocked.

Stella rolled her eyes. "Yes Raph, there's one more thing. Anyway I was just telling Raph that I bought this whole building so that I can knock out some of the walls upstairs and expand the apartment. Thing is, this is a four story building and I don't need four floors so if you want you're welcome to use the second floor of this half of the building as your own apartment, I mean if you want to."

"I want to!" Mikey almost screamed before checking himself. "I mean yeah, sounds cool."

"Awesome," Stella smiled. "I thought you might after I saw how crowded the lair has gotten."

"You don't think Master Splinter is going to be mad do you?" he asked apprehensively. "I mean Leo wasn't very happy about you not staying down there and if he says no Splinter usually backs him up."

"Nah," she shook her head as the trio stepped back out into the cold and locked the door to the storefront behind them before reentering the stairway leading up to the small apartment. "I ran the whole thing by Daddy last night and he thought it was a pretty good idea so long as you were okay with it. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks you need a chance for a little independence. Anyway as for Leo having a problem well he can go suck an egg for all I care. You know he may be the leader when it comes to ninja stuff but he's not your boss Mikey," she pointed out. "He means well but if what he wants you to do doesn't make you happy there's nothing saying you have to listen to him."

"Yeah bro and if ol Fearless gives ya any grief you jus let us know and we'll take care a him for ya," Raphael promised.

"Wow, this has been the best Christmas ever!" Mikey exclaimed before scooping Stella up in yet another hug. "I can't wait to tell everybody I'm movin' on up, they're gonna be so jealous. Speakin' of everybody I guess I had better be getting back before they send a search party out looking for me. Are you two coming?"

Raphael shook his head. "Nah. If we go back we're just gonna end up messin' with Fearless and the Dragon Lady more and then who knows what's gonna happen."

"Yeah we'll probably send Hera into labor and neither of us wants to be around to witness that," Stella wrinkled her nose while Raphael and Michelangelo both shivered at the thought of the impending birth or egg laying as the case may be. "Anyway we're just gonna crash here for the night but we'll be down in the mornin' so I can answer all the questions they have about our new business venture since they're sure not to believe you. No offense Mikey."

Mikey waved her off. "None taken. You're right, no way any of them are gonna believe me unless one of you are there to back me up. Well uh I would say have a good night but I'm pretty sure you two will and honestly, I don' even wanna think about what that entails."

"Night Mikey," Stella laughed as she began climbing the stairs toward the apartment.

"Yeah night bro and thanks for bein' cool I uh owe ya one."

Mikey held out his hand for a fist bump. "No problem dude, laters."

"So," Raphael began as they reentered the apartment, "we're gettin' a bigger bedroom huh."

"We?" Stella raised her eyebrow.

He paused for a second "Well uh yeah. I though you asked me to move in ya know permanently earlier."

Stella laughed and kicked off her shoes while throwing her jacket over the back of the couch. "I'm just fuckin' with ya. Yeah we're getting a bigger bedroom."

Raphael looked relieved for a moment before a devilish smirk crept onto his face. "So is that my other Christmas present or is there more?" He asked with a waggle of his eye ridges.

"Oh there's more," Stella promised but I'm going to have to go get it out of my suitcase. Do you think you can wait here while I go get it?" She asked with a wink.

He let out a heavy sigh before collapsing dramatically onto the sofa. "If I have ta."

"Good," she replied before dashing toward the small bedroom. She began to close the door before opening it again and sticking her head out. "And do me a favor and take of your belt and put it aside. I don't want your Sais ripping into anything just yet."

"Yet?" he called back toward the closed door, his voice cracking ever so slightly with anticipation.


	18. Chapter 18

Raphael could only stare, mouth gaping open like a fish out of water as Stella emerged from the small bedroom sometime later. He could have guessed that she was going to step out in some sort of sexy ensemble like naughty Mrs. Claus outfit or even some sort of dirty elf for his present, he never thought she would actually be the gift that needed unwrapping.

She stood before him now wearing just to spark his imagination about what lay beneath while simultaneously turning his brain into mush. Her tanned limbs were encircled in ruby colored satin ribbons that led to a tight black leather corset which showcased her delicious curves and was cinched shut in the front with matching red ribbon. The entire ensemble appeared to have no real beginning or end which left Raphael puzzled about how to get the piece off of her until he remembered the Sai strapped to his side.

Stella bit her bottom lip which was stained a matching shade of red. "So," she asked while looking up at him through her dark eyelashes, causing him to inhale deeply while clutching the back of the couch for support, "do you like it?"

"I-uh, I ahem," he coughed trying to cover up his inability to think straight.

His obvious discomfort was rewarded with a lazy smirk from the small brunette standing in the open doorway. She raised an amused eyebrow and he chose to nod his head rather than attempt speech again.

She looked back down and began toying with a piece of the ribbon that was currently straining to hold the top of her corset shut. "So are you just gonna sit there like some sort of statue or-" she didn't find it necessary to finish her question as she was suddenly thrown over his shoulder and rushed into the dimly lit bedroom before the wooden door was slammed shut behind them.

As soon as the door was shut, Stella found her back pressed against the closed door as Raphael eagerly attached his mouth to her own while he braced himself against the wall with his hands.

"Oh god baby," he moaned into her mouth as he let his gaze wander over her red ribbon wrapped form. "How the hell am I gonna get you outta this?"

Stella smirked against his mouth before slipping out from under his arms and walking backwards toward the bed. "I'm sure you can manage to think of something," she purred playfully while spinning one of his Sai expertly in her left hand.

"Geezus woman," he moaned while stalking forward and leaning over her while she fell back on the bed with a laugh. Reaching out he grabbed both of her hands and pinned them above her head. He smirked down at her while reaching up to retrieve his Sai from her grasp. "Tha things I'm gonna do to y-" He stopped mid-thought and cocked his head to the side and wrinkled his brow. "Did ya hear that?" He asked.

Stella blinked several times in confusion, his sudden change of focus throwing her off kilter for a moment. "I'm sorry, what?" she asked, trying to shake the lusty haze from her mind.

"Do ya hear somethin'?" Raphael asked again as he backed up slightly, lifted himself back off of the bed and began walking back towards the closed door. "It sounds like someone is at the winda' tryin' ta get in."

"Raph?" Stella asked while coming to stand behind him, intent on helping him investigate the source of the disturbance.

"Stay here," Raphael commanded, reaching for the doorknob.

"What?" Stella hissed suddenly defensive. She narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Why? Cause I'm a girl?" she demanded angrily.

The muscles in his shoulders tensed in anticipation of a fight before he rolled his eyes "No," Raphael hissed back, "it's not 'cause you're a girl. It's because ya only wearing a very small amount a ribbon right now genius. 'Scuse me for tryin' ta be a gentleman," he huffed.

Stella glanced down at her current ensemble and blushed, "Oh uh, good call. Well um, go get 'em chief, I'll be right here if ya need me."

"Yeah babe, I'll let ya know if I need any gift wrappin' assistance," he smirked before slipping silently out the door and into the dark apartment.

A tense second passed before Stella heard a muttered curse and the sound of the window being slid open before it shut again just as quickly. A moment later she heard a groan followed by a flurry of whispering could be heard coming from the living room.

After a few moments of this Stella couldn't take anymore. "Raph?" she called, sticking her head out the door.

"Stella," called her youngest brother's plaintive voice from the other room.

Her eyes widened quickly as she shot out her arm to grab her bathrobe from a nearby hook. She barely managed to tie the belt around her waist before she found herself wrapped up in the nearly frozen arms of Michelangelo. Raphael stood behind him looking slightly bewildered and quite contrite for letting the younger turtle get past him and almost catching Stella in her current state of undress.

Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around the shivering turtle and pulled him closer. "Mikey?" she asked confused as to why he had returned already, he had been gone less than an hour.

"It-it was, oh god Stel it was awful," he stammered, nuzzling his head into her hair for comfort. "The screaming and the- I- I can't," he muttered. "Uh god, there are some things you can't unsee," he whispered with a shiver that shook his entire frame.

"What? What can't you unsee? Mikey, what happened? Where is your coat?" Stella demanded while trying unsuccessfully to pry his cold arms from around her neck in order to check him over for any injuries. "Did somebody hurt you?"

Raphael frowned and shook his head. "Hera's in labor," he answered for his youngest brother.

"Oh-ugh," Stella wrinkled her nose with distaste while the two turtles shivered in unison. "I mean, that's-well that's something-" She trailed off, unable to find just the right words to fit the situation.

"The girls are helpin' her and Leo's there to help Donny but-but no one told me!"Michelangelo muttered his voice rising as he grew more and more agitated. "I just walked in thinkin' everything's cool and I'm gonna just hang out with my new kitten and play one of my awesome new games right?" He lifted up his head for a moment and looked down at Stella with troubled blue eyes and shook his head sadly. "Wrong! The next thing I know, I hear screams and I run to the lab 'cause I'm thinkin' someone was getting' attacked or something and-and then I-I-" he reburied his head in Stella's hair and continued to cling to her as though his very life depended on it. "It was like-it was-"

Raphael massaged a spot between his eyes and squeezed them shut. "Apparently Mike 'ere caught an eyeful and he's uh, well he's gonna be stayin' here with us for awhile 'cause nobody should hafta witness none a that business unless you know," he waved his hand around, "it's their business or some shit."

"You've gotta be shittin' me," Stella moaned, exchanging pained looks with Raphael over the shivering turtle's shoulder before heaving a plaintive sigh and resigning herself to at least one celibate night if not more. "I'm so sorry Mikey, I can't even begin to imagine what that was like," she soothed while rubbing a comforting hand up and down his arm.

"Do ya have a copy of Alien around here?" Mikey asked. His voice muffled by Stella's hair as he continued to cling to her. "Cause I'm pretty sure that what's happening down there is a chestburster."

Stella's shocked eyes shot up and locked with Raphael's. Mikey didn't know it but when they were only eight she and Raph had snuck to the surface and while watching a movie through someone's living room window, had born witness to the scene he was referring to. That scene had scared both children so badly that they had not only refused to sleep alone for over a month but they had both been terrified of the possibility of an extraterrestrial invasion well into their early teens. It had made watching movies like Independence Day or Men In Black into such harrowing experiences for both of them that they still had a hard time looking Will Smith without shuddering.

"That ah, tha' won' be necessary bro," Raph replied trying to sound calm while struggling to clear the look of shock off of his face before Michelangelo saw while Stella just continued to stare at him with a look of abject horror on her face over the other turtle's shoulder. Her eyes were open wide and her mouth had formed a small, silent scream.

"Eh hey Mikey why don' ya lemme make ya somethin' ta drink while Stella uh- while she gets ya some blankets and shit." Raphael suggested, trying to give Stella a chance to bring her heart rate back down before she stroked out.

"Yeah okay," Michelangelo agreed as he finally detached himself from his sister who had only just managed to dial down her look of horror from 'trapped in an underground bunker full of the living dead with only a bag full of stale bread as a weapon' to 'swimming in the ocean with a man-eating shark while bleeding profusely from a leg wound'.

"By the way Stel," Mikey called as she began walking stiff legged back towards the small linen cabinet at the end of the small hallway, "ya got a little bit a ribbon or something stuck to your leg."

"Oh, right, thanks Mikey," she mumbled distractedly before she ducked back into her bedroom to put on a more suitable outfit lest her younger brother emerge from the evening more damaged by scarring sights than he already was. Hell, she hadn't even been there to witness it and still she was fairly certain she wouldn't be sleeping well, or quite possibly at all, for awhile.

After managing to regulate her breathing and remind herself that she and Raphael had an iron clad plan for survival in case of a hostile alien invasion, she finally stopped shaking enough to cut herself out of Raphael's Christmas present with the help of the kunai she kept under her pillow. Before she reemerged from the bedroom dressed in a pair of comfortable lounge pants and an old baseball jersey, she remembered to grab a spare pillow and a few warm blankets for Michelangelo to use.

When she reentered the small living room, she found Mikey huddled up on the couch clutching a mug of what appeared to be hot chocolate while Raph sat perched on the back of an old armchair.

Dropping the armload of bedding onto the unoccupied end of the couch she came to stand next to Raphael's perch. "I thought you were going to make him a drink?" she whispered giving Raphael what she considered to be the universal hand signal for liquor. In reply Raphael jerked his head over his shoulder toward the half empty bottle of vodka currently sitting open on the kitchen counter. 'Oh' she mouthed and nodded her head in approval.

Both of them looked over curiously as a tone came from the turtle huddled on the couch. Still clinging to his hot chocolate, Michelangelo flipped open a small cell phone and read the text message before wrinkling up his face in disgust and looking toward his older brother and sister. "It's for you Stel," he said before tossing the phone toward her waiting hands.

Leaning forward, Raphael snatched it out of the air before she could grab the small device. Curiously, the pair leaned over the small screen to read the message. "No, nope, no way," Stella suddenly declared while she backed away from the small device with her hands held high as though it might attack her at any moment. "There is no fucking way I'm going near a goddamn chestburster." She gave Raphael a pleading look. "Don't let them take me!" she begged before snatching the bottle of vodka off of the counter and jumping under the blankets with Michelangelo.

"No fucking way am I letting you anywhere near that shit," Raphael growled while typing away furiously on the small phone. "I just got ya back. I ain't gonna lose ya ta whateva creepy ass shit they got goin' on down there. Fuck no," he muttered. "Donny can just shove his female bondin' shit up his goddamn ass. What tha' fuck does he think this is, the fuckin' Ya Ya Sista' hood?"

Both Michelangelo and Stella perked up and looked over at him with curious expressions. "I saw a fuckin' trailer," he defended, scowling darkly "It's not like I watched that shit." Both of the current residents of the couch gave him disbelieving looks. "Whateva'," he huffed grumpily before hitting send.

"Mikey move your fat ass ova'," he demanded plopping down on the couch next to Stella and snatching the vodka bottle from her grasp. "Might as well get fuckin' comfortable," he suggested.

He grabbed the remote off of the side table, turned on a Christmas movie marathon, and threw an arm around Stella's shoulders, pulling her tightly into his side while she covered the both of them in yet another blanket. "Let's get shitfaced cause I'll be damned if I'm gonna try an sleep with those fucked up images bangin' around in my head."


	19. Chapter 19

It was early morning when Stella heard a light rapping coming from the direction of the living room window. Groaning at the early hour and the fact that she had only just managed to fall asleep, she struggled to untangle herself from the mishmash of turtle limbs she was trapped under without waking their owners before crawling towards the window.

Squinting into the darkness, she could just make out the shape of another large turtle perched on the fire escape before a gust of snow completely obscured the form. With a low whimper, she heaved herself heavily to her feet and teetered precariously for a moment before unsteadily bracing herself against the wall while she tiredly reached out with one arm and unlatched the window.

Silently, the window slid open and was just as silently snapped shut only a moment later. "Th-thanks," Leo shivered as he relocked the window behind him and shook the snow from his heavy overcoat. Stella waved him off as she stumbled blearily toward the kitchen to pour herself another drink.

"So Fearless," she asked quietly while pouring herself a tumbler full of whiskey and leaning heavily against the counter, "what brings you here this fine morning?"

Leonardo finished shedding off his winter gear and strode over toward the small kitchen. He looked sheepish and gave her a pleading look as he reached for a glass and nodded his head toward the bottle of whiskey. She obligingly passed it over while waiting for her older brother to answer.

Leo took a large gulp of the amber liquid before replying. "I've killed people, actually cut them open and watched them die but nothing, and I mean nothing compares to what I just witnessed." He took another swig of his drink before setting down his glass and pouring himself another.

Stella couldn't help but chuckle darkly as she grabbed the bottle back and poured herself another shot. "I take it she's still in labor then."

"She's managed to lay one egg but she still has another one to go. I just couldn't take it anymore. If I hadn't left when I did I was either going to lose my lunch or cry, probably both," he admitted

Stella smirked at the thought of her older brother crying in a corner of Donny's lab while she watched him pour himself another drink. "So you abandoned Donny and the girls?" she asked.

Leo raised his glass and threw back his drink. "Hey, I did what I had to in order to survive." He defended. "Anyway, Tina sent me out after I started to wretch in the corner. She and the rest of the girls were set on staying and as for Don well, he made his bed and he can sleep in it. He's lucky I stuck around for as long as I did, you have no idea how tempted I was to run out the door with Mikey. You're lucky you didn't have to witness the carnage."

She raised her glass in agreement. She was infinitely thankful Raphael had told Donny that she couldn't make it back to the lair safely with the blizzard roaring outside. "So what did it for ya?" she asked curious as to what could have driven the normally unflappable Leonardo from the lair and into her apartment.

He grimaced. "No one thought it was going to be this bad but Donny thinks that the mutation changed a lot of our systems in strange ways, some for the better, but apparently it really screwed up our reproductive you know, methods. He's sure she'll be fine but-" He shivered again and finished off his drink before putting down his glass and waving her off when she offered him a refill. "Did you ever see the chestburster scene from Alien?" he asked. "Because what I just saw was easily ten times worse."

"Oh my god I wish people would stop sayin' that." Stella squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples. "Never going to sleep again, I swear."

"Sorry," the blue banded turtle apologized with a shrug. "Uh anyway, like I said, I just couldn't handle it anymore so I decided to come up here and um, check on things. You know, just to make sure you and Raphael were both still breathing and that Mikey made it here alright."

"Right, right," she replied glancing over toward the forms of the two sleeping turtles. Currently a softly snoring Raphael had Michelangelo in some sort of strangle hold with one arm while clutching at a wad of fuzzy blankets with the other. He was going to be so pissed if he woke up and found himself snuggling with Mikey like he was some sort of giant teddy bear. "Well I can assure you, based on the snores, Raphael is still breathing although I'm not totally sure about Mikey. It looks like Raph has a pretty tight grip around his neck."

"That's good, I'm glad you and Raph seem to have reached some sort of I don't know- peace or whatever you two worked out, I'm just glad you're not trying to kill one another."

"Oh trust me, it was close," Stella chuckled as she thought back to their time on the beach.

Leonardo shifted his weight awkwardly from one foot to the other, signaling he had something else on his mind. "So uh about earlier," he began uncomfortably.

"Oh geeze. Not now," Stella moaned turning her gaze back to the only conscious turtle in the room. "Look Leo, obviously we've all got a whole mountain of shit to dig through. Let's just save it until I'm mentally capable of wielding a shovel without passing out. Whadda ya say?"

Leonardo looked like he might argue back for a brief moment before he sighed and nodded his head. "Alright," he agreed "but we are going to talk."

"Of course," she replied as she wandered back toward her cozy little nook between Raphael and Michelangelo's unconscious forms, "I owe ya that much, just like you owe it to me to hear me out. Anyway, this has been a good talk but I'm gonna try goin' back ta sleep seeing as I now have nearly enough alcohol in my system to start my own distillery. You're welcome to crash here with us until all a this is over. Hell, ya can even take the bed since no one else is usin' it." She offered while prying Raphael's arm from around Michelangelo's neck and rearranged it so she could slide comfortably back into place.

Leo yawned and nodded his head before heading toward the bedroom. He walked halfway across the room before turning back to grab the bottle of whiskey. "Just in case," he muttered under his breath. "You know, just for the record Stel, I'm glad you're back. I missed you, we all did," he added as he watched her reposition the blankets back over the two sleeping brothers on the floor.

"Thanks Leo," she murmured almost asleep once again, "I really missed you too."

"Night sis."

"Night bro," she muttered as he eyes fluttered shut, "love you."

"Love you too Stel." She heard him whisper back as she slipped back into unconsciousness.

It wasn't until late that afternoon that the occupants of the cozy apartment began to stir when three identical cell phones began to ring.

"Holy Christ where is it?" Raphael moaned while Michelangelo balled himself up and clutched at his head and Stella let out a string of profanities that would make a sailor blush.

"Make it fucking stop," she cried while pulling the covers back over her head only to discover that one of the phones was also under the blankets with her. "Here," she spat tossing it angrily at Raphael, "you answer it."

"Fuckin'," Raphael muttered darkly under his breath as he flipped open the device. "What?" he snarled into the phone. "Oh crap- I mean uh- sorry Sensei," he mumbled into the mouth piece as Stella and Mikey snickered from under their blankets before simultaneously moaning in pain earning them a satisfied snort from Raphael. "Yeah, yeah. Okay I'll tell 'em. Uh sorry again Masta' Splinta'."

Raphael snapped the small cell shut and threw it aside. "It's ova," he muttered as he collapsed back into a boneless heap, covering his eyes with his arm and trying to will away the pounding in his head.

"Finally," Mikey grunted from under his blanket. "Ugh, I need tha bathroom," he moaned as he crawled out from his cocoon and struggled to his feet. "Now I know what a water balloon feels like right before it bursts," he muttered mostly to himself as he staggered unsteadily out of the room.

"You doin' alright princess?" Raphael muttered as he threw an arm over her huddled form and pulled her against his side.

"I think I wanna die," she moaned as she slid across the floor.

"Ugh," Leo grunted as he stumbled blearily out of the bedroom a few seconds later clutching the now empty bottle of whiskey.

Raphael gaped in surprise "Fearless?" he asked astounded at the unexpected sight of his older brother who appeared to be quite hungover. "What the fuck are you don' here?"

"Don't look so surprised," Leo snapped irritably as he collapsed into the old armchair and sat the empty bottle down heavily on the side table.

"Be nice Raphie," Stella mumbled poking her head out of the blankets and squinting at the light filtering through the snow covered windows. "Leo's our new Sigourney."

"Oh bro-" Mikey said consolingly as he dragged himself out of the bathroom and collapsed onto the sofa with a groan. "Dude Leo, I feel ya man. Like a freakin' chestburster am I right?"

"Holy- would you stop sayin' that?" Raphael demanded angrily.

"I know right," Stella added.

"Funny Mikey, that's exactly what I said," Leo agreed with the youngest turtle, completely ignoring Raphael and Stella's complaints.

"Hey Stel, ya got anythin' ta eat around here?" Michelangelo asked while peering around. "I'm starvin'."

Stella wrinkled her nose at the thought of putting any sort of food stuffs into her poor abused body. "You'd know better than I would Mikey," she answered while propping herself up on Raphael's chest and resting her elbows on his plastron while he continued to lay on the floor with an arm thrown over his eyes. "I've only been back for a few hours but I'm pretty sure you cleaned out all of what was left in the cupboards during your munch fest last night."

"Oh yeah," he said sadly. "Well how 'bout the ol' standby then? We'll just order pizza."

"No, nope, no way," Stella shook her head adamantly before clutching at it as the room began to swim. "After the amount of pizza we ate last night," she gestured toward the several empty pizza boxes laying strewn around the room, "if I eat another piece anytime in the next seventy-two hours I'm gonna hurl and I promise, the kielbasa incident will seem like small potatoes compared to that you'll witness."

"Uh gross Stel," Raphael and Leonardo moaned in unison as they undoubtedly recalled the great kielbasa incident.

"My point exactly," Stella said. "I agree it should be something greasy though. Uh, how 'bout chicken and waffles?" She suggested.

"The fuck?" Raphael asked, uncovering his eyes to stare at her as though she had lost her mind. "Why the hell would ya mix tha two?"

Stella shrugged. "I don't know who thought of it but trust me, it's the shit. There's restaurants all over the country servin' it. Anyway I saw on the Food Network that one of the top places for it is nearby AND," she stressed the 'and', "they deliver."

The three brothers stared at her for a moment as if trying to determine whether or not her taste buds could be trusted before finally, one by one nodding their consent or in Raphael's case merely grunting in agreement.

"Cool," Stella said as she clambered to her feet only to fall heavily back down onto Raphael's plastron.

"Oof!" he grunted in surprise .

"Sorry Raph," she apologized as she used the couch to steady herself as she reattempted standing. "Okay," she declared as she finally regained her balance. "Now where is my-," she trailed off as she located her cell phone sitting on the small dining room table where she had left it the night before. "Oh awesome." Then, much faster than should have been possible for someone in her state, she entered the security code and began typing furiously away on the small touchscreen.

After a few minutes of near constant clicking, she shut off the phone and sat it back on the table. "Done," she declared proudly. "It should be here in about thirty minutes."

"Uh Stel, are you still drunk or am I 'cause I'm pretty sure you didn't even call the place yet to order." Michelangelo asked looking slightly bewildered.

His sister smirked. "Online ordering my little sun drop, it's a beautiful thing." Michelangelo's mouth formed a small 'o' as he eyed her phone jealously. "So I'm going to go take a shower and brush my teeth since I'll be the lucky one who gets to drag my butt downstairs to greet the delivery guy while you three hang out up here lookin' pretty. Would you mind pickin' up some while I'm in there?"

"Of course Stella," Leonardo answered for the group.

"Ugh," Raphael groaned as he finally sat up and got heavily to his feet. "Lemme use the bathroom real quick would ya?"

Stella nodded and ducked into her bedroom to retrieve her toothbrush and soaps while she waited. A few moments later Raphael stuck his head into the room to let her know he had finished. She wasted no time in getting into the small room and turning on the hot water before she set down her things. She decided to brush her teeth while the water warmed up since her mouth tasted like she had been licking the back end of a yak.

The room had steamed up nicely by the time Stella was ready to spit. As she wiped her mouth off on a nearby towel, she happened to glance up at the mirror situated over the sink and saw a message written in messy scrawl appearing on the glass. 'Love you Stel -Raph'. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she realized he must have left it for her to find.

With happy thoughts about how big of a sap the large turtle really was, Stella stepped under the hot water and proceeded to wash the remnants of the night from her skin. Feeling much more refreshed and less like death warmed over, she shut off the water and toweled off. With a resigned sigh, she reached up and wiped away Raphael's message lest Leo see it by accident since that was a talk she was certainly not ready to have. Telling Mikey about their relationship had been one thing but telling their other two brothers was going to be totally different.

As she towel dried her hair, Stella opened the door and stepped into the much cleaner apartment. Apparently Leo had kept his word about cleaning up since the trash had all been neatly collected and the various pillows and blankets had been collected and refolded. Dropping her dirty clothes in the small hamper in her room she was happy to find that even the linens on the bed had been changed.

"Hey Stel, delivery guy's here," Michelangelo called from his post by the window.

"Ya need cash?" Raphael asked as she stepped into the living room.

"Nah, I already paid online, tip and all," she replied as she opened the apartment door and stepped out onto the landing. "I could probably use some help carrying everything back up though," she suggested.

"Yeah, sure," he replied, sounding none too thrilled while Mikey and Leo sat on the couch watching television.

Silently, the pair climbed down the stairs. Raphael stopped on the second floor to avoid being seen while Stella continued on to the front door. After thanking the teen who was struggling under the mountain of food she had ordered, and slipping him a few extra bucks for having to trek through the snow to get to her door, she shut and relocked the door.

No sooner had the tumbler of the last lock fallen into place than she felt the large load being lifted out of her arms while a pair of lips pressed eagerly against her own.

"Mmmm, mornin'," she smiled against Raphael's mouth as she melted into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"S'not mornin' but I ain't complainin'," he replied before reclaiming her mouth with his own. "Sorry 'bout last night," he said when they finally broke apart for air.

"It's not your fault," she assured him as they began climbing the stairs. "No one coulda' predicted that. I'm just sorry you didn't get your present."

"You an' me both," he grumbled as he carried the armload of food up the stairs as though it was nothing.

"Maybe tonight?" Stella suggested as they turned the corner on the third floor.

He shook his head. "Don' jinx it. Fuckin' turtle luck," he reminded her. "Ya say somethin' good and somethin' bad happens, always."

"Hey I was willing to give this whole positivity thing a go but fine, rain on my parade," she joked as they reached the door of the apartment. "I still think the whole' turtle luck' thing is a bunch of bullshit anyway. I can't believe you guys still believe it that."

He shook his head as she opened the door and stepped inside. "Look, alls I'm sayin' is it's a fact a life. Ya just gotta learn ta accept it an keep ya yap shut."

"What's that?" Leonardo asked from his spot on the couch as they reentered the apartment.

"Turtle luck," Raphael replied as he set down the large box of food and Michelangelo hopped over to inspect the containers. "Stel still doesn't believe in it."

"Believe it sis." Michelangelo popped his head up from a container of fried chicken. "It's a real thing."

"Raph and Mikey are right," Leo added. "You're going to have to admit it one of these days Stella. A lot of things have changed while you've been away Stel but not turtle luck. It's still going as strong as ever. Even Donny believes in it."

"Yeah Stel, even Donny believes and he's a genius," Mikey added nodding sagely as though saying that Donny believing in something must make it real.

"I feel like given our present situation Donatello's genius could potentially be called into question," Stella pointed out as she removed a few containers of waffles and a large plastic container of warm syrup.

"Okay I'll give ya that," Raphael agreed as he pulled out a stack of plates and began passing them out. "But eitha' way ya gotta admit, we don' tend ta have the best a luck."

"You know what? I'm not even going to waste my breath arguing with you three. You're all crazy you know that?" The three large turtles just shrugged their shoulders in response as they began helping themselves to the hot food before it had a chance to get cold.


	20. Chapter 20

Leonardo snapped his phone shut and strode back into the room where his siblings were draped about the various chairs as they decompressed from their hangover induced fried food binge.

"Master Splinter says everything is fine with Hera and the eggs and that he's sending Don up here. Apparently Sensei feels that it would be best if Donny gets out for a bit and that it would be best if we were to spend some time together, as a family. He also thinks that we should all perhaps spend the night up here. That is, if it's alright with you Stella."

Raphael and Stella exchanged a loaded glance with one another as they resigned themselves to yet another night of playing hosts to their brothers. Stella fixed a smile on her face and nodded her reply. "That's cool, so long as Raph and Mikey are good with it."

"Whateva'," Raphael answered with a shrug.

"Ugh," Michelangelo groaned before letting out a particularly deep burp earning him a fist bump from Raphael and disgusted looks from both Stella and Leonardo which he chose to ignore, "fine by me. I don't think I'm gonna be able to move for at least a week anyway."

"Wow that was gross. You know, I'm gonna take out this trash before it starts to smell too rank in here," Stella announced, standing up suddenly and collecting the various take out containers spread out around the living room and kitchen. "Does someone wanna help me carry all a this down to the trashcans?"

"I gotcha Stel," Raphael volunteered as he heaved himself off the couch and grabbed the stack of empty pizza boxes. "I gotta get away from Mikey's stink for awhile anyway or I'm gonna be blowin' chunks."

"Hey," Mikey protested with a frown, "I don't smell that bad." He sniffed himself and screwed up his face. "Alright, maybe I don't smell good but I don't smell that bad. What do you think Leo?" He asked suddenly throwing himself bodily on top of their oldest brother and holding his arm up for a sniff.

"I think that if you don't get off of me and into the shower right now we're going to be down a sibling, permanently," Leo threatened while trying to maintain his composure, something that was often hard to do with Michelangelo around.

While Leo struggled to get his flailing baby brother out of his lap and into a shower, Mikey caught Stella's eye and threw her a wink letting her know he had her back. He would continue his distraction in order to give her and Raph a few minutes alone together.

Mouthing her thanks, she quickly grabbed a bag full of garbage while Raphael held the door open for them to make their hasty exit.

The pair didn't waste any time in getting down the stairs as quickly as possible. As soon as they hit the ground floor they dashed out into the cold night, not caring that neither had thought to bring any sort of jacket with them. Almost instantly, the freezing temperatures cut them to the bone but that was the least of their concerns. As soon as they rounded the corner and dumped their trash, they were wrapped up in each other just enjoying the feeling of having the other within touching distance without having to hold back lest they give themselves away to their brothers before they were ready.

"It's turtle luck, I'm tellin' ya Stel," Raphael breathed into her wild mess of curls while running his large hands up and down her back in an effort to keep her warm. "I told ya ta keep your mouth shut but no, ya just had ta say somethin'. Now Don's on his way up for a little family bondin' time." He groaned and leaned more heavily on her small frame.

"Shit Raph, when did crap get so fuckin' touchy feely 'round here?" She moaned as she began tracing the patterns on his shell with her fingers. "I've been back for two days and this is like the third time someone has suggested some sort of 'bonding time'."

"Don' say I didn' tell ya! I warned ya about this shit back on tha' boat. Eva' since ya left shit's been gettin' all touchy feely an 'let's talk about it an then hug it out'. I'd blame it entirely on the girls but I think Splinta' has been watchin' a lil' too much eva' since they cancelled his stories." He shook his head ruefully as though the cancellation of a number of daytime soap operas was a serious travesty. "Ya know wha'? I miss the days when we would jus' beat the shit outta each otha' an be done with it. Why can' we go back ta that?" He complained.

Stella shook her head as she pressed her forehead into his shoulder. "We'll be fine," she said as much for his benefit as well as her own. "They'll leave, eventually. I'm just not real thrilled that I haven't gotten more than a few minutes alone with you since I got back. Besides the obvious reasons, there are some things I really wanted to talk to you about."

He pulled her in tighter against his plastron as she began to shiver. "Yeah, I caught that back in the lair when ya was talkin' with April," he said.

"There's just a lot of," she let out a heavy sigh and dropped her hands from where they had been running up and down his arms to reach back and grab his hands with her own, "things aren't going to be easy."

"Hey," he grabbed her chin and forced her to look up, "when's that eva' stopped us before, eh Stel? You an me, we don' do anythin' easy. Its jus' not who we are."

Stella gave him a crooked smile and nodded her head. "You're right it's just, different. You know? There's a lot at stake and I just don't want to be the one who fucks it all up."

"Hey now," Raphael threw a heavy arm around her shoulder and began leading her back inside, "that's why we keep Mike around. You know how this works. First he fucks shit up an then we forgive him 'cause he's Mikey an' he jus' can' help it. Afta' that Don's new gadget breaks an' Leo's genius plan to fix everythin' goes to shit. Then, finally once it looks like we're gonna get our asses handed to us you an' I come in an save the day with pure awesomeness. Then aftawards we order a shit ton a pizza and you an I sneak off for some alone time." He raised his eye ridges suggestively as he smiled down at her.

She laughed as they pulled open the door to the building and stomped the snow from their feet. "Sounds like you've got it all figured out."

The red banded turtle smirked down at her before turning and wrapping his arms back around her. "It's jus' the way things work."

"You're so full of shit," she teased before pulling him down into a kiss.

"Is called science babe," he retorted as they broke apart and once again began the long climb back up to the apartment.

"Raphie, you wouldn't know science if it jumped up and bit you in the ass." She teased earning her a growl and a pinch on the butt which really got her moving as she raced to escape from Raphael's famous 'turtle bites'.

"I see the twins are back," Donatello commented offhandedly to Leo as Stella burst into the apartment and then tried and failed to close the door before Raphael could get inside.

As Raphael shouldered his way into the apartment, Stella jumped backwards in effort to evade his reach but found herself caught by the hood of her sweatshirt and thrown over the large turtle's shoulder a second before being tossed unceremoniously onto the now vacant couch. She had hardly a second to catch her breath before Raphael pounced on top of her and began alternately tickling and pinching her mercilessly while Leonardo and Donatello watched from their seats at the kitchen table.

Leonardo turned his gaze back to his purple clad brother and nodded. "Kind of strange though. After everything that happened I would think they would be a little less," he paused for a second while he watched Raphael go sailing across the room as Stella somehow managed to throw him off, "that."

Donny nodded his head in agreement as he too watched the pair wrestle on the couch as though only a day had passed since they had seen one another rather than three rough years full of hurt feelings.

"Hey Don," Stella greeted popping her mussed head over the couch back before his overtaxed mind could begin to really examine what he was seeing. "Congratulations."

"Oh um, thanks," he replied smiling softly before being knocked forward by a harsh slap on the back from Raphael who had managed to come up behind him without notice.

"Yeah Donny boy, didn' think ya had it in ya."

Donny rubbed the back of his neck gingerly. "Thanks?" he offered unsure whether he was being insulted or not.

"Yeah, sorry I couldn't make it last night," Stella said while trying her best to look disappointed about watching a turtle she had met only once before give birth to two very large eggs in what had apparently been a particularly brutal process. "I would have come down to um, help with," she waved her hands in front of her, "stuff but you know with the blizzard and everything I just couldn't."

"It's alright," he assured her as he tucked his hand into his jacket and pulled out Michelangelo's new kitten. He set the small orange cat down on the floor before straightening back up while it scurried off to explore. "I'm not really sure there was much you could have done anyway. I'm not sure if you heard but the whole process was a bit like-"

"We heard!" Stella and Raphael suddenly shouted in unison not wanting any more disturbing images implanted in their brains by their brothers.

Donatello jerked back slightly. "Okay."

"Sorry," Stella apologized as she climbed over the back of the couch and scooped up Klunk only to turn around and pass him directly to Michelangelo as he emerged from the steamy bathroom with a towel over his shoulder and his bright orange mask hanging around his neck. "So um, are you hungry? I think we have some chicken and waffles left if you want some."

The purple banded turtle furrowed his brow and shook his head. "No, thank you. I'm trying to pursue a more healthy lifestyle and I'm certain fried chicken and waffles aren't really conducive to my diet."

Stella stared blankly at her brainy brother as though he were speaking gibberish so Michelangelo decided to help her out.

"Don and Hera have decided to make more 'health conscious'," he formed air quotes with his fingers, "decisions. Mostly it just means they stopped eating anything that doesn't taste like cardboard and they act like foods with carbs and sugars are going to jump out and chew their faces off."

"Have you seen what heart disease looks like?" Donny retorted. "I'm sorry if you don't agree with Hera and my dietary choices but I don't agree with your gross overindulgences on fats and carbohydrates and you don't hear me complaining."

"Uh Don, pretty sure ya just did bro," Mikey pointed out with a cheeky grin as he once again plopped down in the worn armchair.

"He's got ya there bro," Stella agreed shooting Mikey a wink.

Leonardo rolled his eyes at his younger siblings' bickering. "I believe we have more important things to talk about right now," he pointed out while looking to Stella expectantly. She groaned internally at his high and mighty attitude but decided to let it go, just this once.

She furrowed her brow and bit her lip lightly, not really sure where to start now that everyone had turned their attention to her. "Not really sure where to begin," she admitted, "so I guess I should start with what you know and go from there."

"So as you all know, for a few years I kept getting really crappy shipments of weapons into the store which led to me losing a lot of money having to ship merchandise back and forth over and over again. After a while Dad and I decided it would be best if I were to go seek out a new weapons supplier to make sure I was bringing in highest quality weapons I could find. Anyway it was meant to be a short trip, maybe a few months to take care of the business side of things but also to get a chance to leave the city and you know, explore. Kinda like Leo did when he went to South America but for less time and not alone."

Leonardo and Donatello both raised their eye ridges at this news. "Not alone?" Leo asked.

"Uh yeah see originally Raphael was supposed to come with me but before I could tell him about any of it there was that whole clusterfuck getting blown up, people treating other people like shit, inter-dimensional travel, oh yeah you're not supposed to exist situation that went down. You may remember it?"

All four turtles nodded their heads in silent agreement.

"Anyway in that middle of that little shit storm I really began to question who the fuck I was. Finding out that there is another dimension almost exactly like ours in every way except ya know gender flipped is startling. Finding out that you are the only person that doesn't seem to exist in said dimension? Life shattering. I hadn't felt so alone and unwanted since I was a little kid you can't even begin to imagine. I mean yes, being a mutant turtle is fucking hard but you guys have always had each other," she pointed out. "You've never had to be alone. I have. No one wanted me until Raph found me. It was something I thought I was over until I found out that I was some weird little lost thing that was never meant to be found."

"Stella you know we've never thought of you like that." Leonardo interrupted.

"I know that now but like I said I wasn't exactly thinking clearly at the time," she answered. "Well, after a while I just needed out before I completely lost my shit so Dad and April helped me get a ticket to Japan so I could strike out on my own and you know, get my head on straight. So all a that was planned 'cept a course I decided to leave a few hours earlier than expected which in retrospect may have been a tad bit hasty but whateva' it's in tha past right?" She looked around the room at the four unamused looking turtles. "Right. "

"Okay let's see, where was I? Uh yeah, skip to Japan. So once I got to Tokyo I spent a few weeks workin'. Mostly I was just bumpin' around before finally finding a reliable weapons supplier and setting that up. After that I took care a shit.

"Stella you were gone for three years," Donny pointed out. "You said it only took you the first few weeks to find a weapons supplier, then what? What does taking care of shit mean?"

Stella sighed heavily this was the part of her explanation she had been dreading for years. "It means I decided to make a change. I was sick of it you know? Sick of," she shook her head and sighed heavily, "everything."

She chanced a look over at Raphael for some support but found him staring blankly out the window while he listened to her story. "I was tired of waking up in the middle of the night from nightmares where I watched everyone I cared about getting slaughtered by some stupid thugs or a fucking ninja clan named after a fucking body part over fucking nothing. I felt like we were fighting a goddamn hydra. We kept cutting off its head over and over again only for more to grow back in its place rather than go for the heart and just kill the fuckin' thing. So I decided to do something about it."

"That wasn't your decision to make Stella," Leonardo argued.

"Wasn't it?" She retorted. "I knew that if I didn't make the decision no one else ever would."

"No it wasn't," he argued back shaking his head angrily. "We make decisions as a team. You know that."

"Don't give me that shit Leo you know you weren't going anywhere, especially not once you found someone. Mikey and Don aren't fighters, not by choice anyway so that takes them out of the game. So that left me and Raph to take this on and I was really fucking pissed at him so it wasn't like I was gonna call him up and ask him for help. Besides, like I said, I was sick of the nightmares. I wasn't going to take the chance of them actually coming true and losing someone. It was something I had to do on my own."

"If you ask me it was really selfish of you and how did you know that you're leaving wasn't going to put anyone of us in more danger?" Donatello reprimanded her while crossing his arms over his plastron and shaking his head with disgust at his sister's actions. "Did you ever stop to consider that we might need you here?"

"Every fucking day," she admitted looking at the floor. "Look I get it. I know you guys always felt like I walked out on all of you and I guess I kinda did but at the same time everything I did, I did for you. I had to accept the chance that something might happen without me being there but that was always a possibility at least this way I wasn't just sitting around with my thumb up my ass waiting for it to happen. I went out there and confronted the problem head on."

Leonardo rubbed his temples tiredly. "I know I'm gonna regret asking but what did you do?"

Rather than answer him she turned her attention toward Donatello. "Don when I took off I left you a letter asking you not to track me," she said earning her an affirmative nod in response. "What did you do as soon as you found that letter?"

"I tracked you or at least I tried to," Donatello admitted sheepishly.

"Right. Thanks for that by the way," she said her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Finding my bank account closed while I was overseas made life so much easier."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

She waved him off. "Don' worry about it. Made me think about how to get in an out of systems without leavin' a trace. That's when I started learning how to ghost, that's what you call it don't you Don? Ghosting?" Donatello nodded his head.

"Right. So I began learning how to manipulate computer systems so that I could ghost in and out of them. I was able to create bank accounts and wire money back and forth between them without being traced." She held up her hand before Leonardo could speak. "Before ya say anythin' it was all my own money to begin with. I never stole a dime I just transferred my funds around under different aliases without getting caught."

"After that I began working on myself, I focused on teaching myself how to move through different environments without attracting attention not by hiding in the shadows like were taught but by blending in so seamlessly that no one could tell that I didn't belong. That's what April caught me doing or she would have if I hadn't gotten so fucking good at it by that point.

"What exactly were you doing when April found you in Morocco?" The blue banded turtle asked. "She never really said."

Stella shrugged. "That's because I never told her. When I found April we were in a tiny area in northern Morocco. Where we were everyone knows everyone else and outsiders cause a huge stir, within minutes entire towns are aware of strangers so it's hard to hide. At the time I was testing myself by traveling to an area I had never been before and inserting myself into their society without anyone noticing, not an easy thing to do. Anyway, I was doing really fucking well when April showed up and caused a huge freakin' commotion just by you know showing up. I managed to slip her a message and then met up with her on the outskirts of town where we talked. After it was over I left the country and got down to business."

"Which was?" Don prompted.

"I'm getting to it. Geeze, impatient much?" Stella scolded.

"Sorry."

"You're forgiven," she replied dryly. "Now, back to my story. So remember I said that while I was in Japan I was bumpin' around?" she asked. "Well while I was doing that I began thinking about the Foot. I mean it makes since right? It is where they're from. Anyway, I was thinking about the Foot and how goddamn many there are and how it doesn't seem to matter how many of them we take out or how much of their property gets damaged, they always come back. The more I thought about it, the more I began to wonder how it's even possible for them to have so much manpower and such limitless funds which led to a lil' bit of diggin' an what I found surprised the shit outta me."

"And that was?" Leo prompted.

"That the whole foundation of the organization is really shaky. For the past couple of years they've had a hard time meeting their bottom line as a legitimate business leading to a hell a lot of dissension in their ranks. Eva' since the Shredder was defeated Karai has been runnin' the show but she doesn't have the right mindset to run a business and control the other activities of the Foot. They used to be able to draw in kids from all over Japan and other countries, who were looking for a way out of poverty, but with things slipping financially they've been losing their numbers at a record rate. That and their financial instability made shaking up the foundation really easy."

"What does that mean precisely?" Donatello asked.

"It means I may kinda' be sorta controlling the Foot, you know by ghosting."

"Explain." Leonardo demanded looking thunderous.

"Look I found a way to manipulate some of their biggest investors without them even knowing it. I've been ghosting in and out of their computers as well as their organization, planting seeds of discension and doubt wherever I go. It's not hard, there is a lot of unrest in their ranks and pulling on their purse strings is turning up the heat. It's only a matter of time before they drop the ball making them that much more vulnerable to crumbling entirely."

Both Leonardo and Donatello had begun to look murderous while Stella explained what she had been up to. Leo opened his mouth to voice his feelings when he suddenly narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "How are the two of you staying so calm about all of this?" he demanded angrily of his two other silent younger brothers neither of whom appeared nearly as surprised as they should have by their sister's admission.

Michelangelo was the first to fold under the pressure of his eldest brother's glare. "Dude Leo, I kinda knew about this already," he admitted, shifting around uncomfortably in his seat. "Not everything bro," he added, "but it wasn't real hard to guess. I mean I've been talkin' to Stel for like two years."

"For- for two years?" the blue banded leader sputtered. "And you're just now telling me this? Why?"

"'Cause I understood where she was comin' from bro and I didn't have any hard feelings. I mean sure I was bummed that she wasn't here but I wasn't gonna make her do somethin' that didn't make her happy. And in my defense Master Splinter has been talking to her the whole time too. Besides," he added feeling particularly brave, "it's not like you were paying attention to me or taking any real interest in finding her anyway. You've been so wrapped up in Tina and your own world for the past few years that you haven't paid attention to much of anything."

Leonardo stared at his baby brother, barely believing he had the nerve to call him out on the carpet like that. He narrowed his eyes at the orange banded turtle and shook his head with disgust before moving on. "And you?" He demanded turning his stony gaze toward his red banded brother. "Why aren't you blowing your top over this? Did you know about this too?"

Raphael rolled his eyes and fixed his older brother with his heated gaze, refusing to back down at all. "I didn' know 'til recently but ya know wha'? I think she's right. We have jus' been sittin' around like a couple a stooges' jus' waitin' for tha otha' shoe ta drop."

Leonardo stood suddenly and began pacing agitatedly back and forth. "And you Don?"

"Not me," Donny shook his head as he too glared at his siblings. "There's no way I would condone such risky maneuvers, especially not by a novice computer hacker."

Stella laughed darkly. "Novice? You admitted not five minutes ago that you couldn't find any trace of me. If I'm a novice what does that make you?"

Donatello's mouth gaped open and he stared at Stella incredulously. His whole face began to turn an angry shade of red as the blood rushed to his face yet he still found himself unable to voice his ire. "I can't believe you would- I just-," he sputtered.

"Would you calm the fuck down Fearless?" Raphael said. "Least she did somethin' unlike the rest a us. What the hell 'ave you done since Stel left?" Raph argued rising to his feet and coming to stand beside Stella.

"Can I say something?" Stella asked.

"No!" Donatello and Leonardo shouted in unison.

"I think you've said enough," Leonardo snapped. "What I want to know now is how Raphael knew about any of this if he wasn't also talking to you and while we're at it, I'd also like to know where he's been for the past few weeks since apparently in this family we just take off without saying anything to anyone."

Raphael snorted. "Like you're one ta talk."

"Hey that was a long time ago and it was for the betterment of the team," the blue banded turtle defended.

"Yeah you keep tellin' ya self that," Raphael said, "maybe one day someone'll actually believe ya."

"I'm curious myself," Donatello interrupted while placing a steadying hand on Leo's shoulder. "You took off for six weeks only to show up without a word three days ago with a patched up shell and a stiches on your head. There's no way you did any of that yourself so where were you Raph?"

"I don' have ta-"

"He was with me," Stella interrupted while narrowing her eyes dangerously at her two brothers.

Off to the side Michelangelo let out a surprised gasp. "The plot thickens," he muttered to himself.

"Oh yeah? Did you decide to run off and try to fight the Foot on your own too?" Leonardo demanded.

"No. Like I said, I only jus found out about tha'. I left 'cause I couldn' stand livin' like this no more."

"Like what?"

"Like this. Shit ain't been right with any a us since Stel left an I wasn' gonna take it any more so I left ta drag her ass," he jerked his head toward Stella, "back here so she could fix shit."

"And you didn't feel the need to tell anyone where you were going?" Leo demanded.

"What would you a done if I'd a said I wanted ta go lookin' for Stel? Huh Leo? I'll tell ya what you woulda done. You woulda gotten all high an mighty abou' respectin' her choice or some shit an then ya woulda said somethin' ta Tina about it an she woulda told ya not ta bother lookin' for her jus 'cause she's pissed that Stella didn' come home for ya weddin'."

"That's not- I wouldn't-," Leonardo sputtered indignantly.

Michelangelo nodded his head emphatically as he came to stand on Stella's other side. "Yes, you totally would've dude!" He chimed in.

"Stay out of this Mikey," Leonardo growled through gritted teeth. "This isn't your fight."

"Hey! Don't tell him what ta do!" Stella argued stepping forward angrily. "You may be his leader when it comes to Ninjutsu but that doesn't mean you can tell him what to do."

Donatello stepped forward between the two warring factions with his hands held out. "Hey why don't we all just take a minute to cool down and talk about all of this rationally? We're all adults here and I'm sure you'll all agree that the sensible thing to do would be to take a deep breath and then talk this out so that everyone gets a fair chance to express their feelings."

Stella's eyes opened wide and she stared at her brainy younger brother with her mouth wide open. "Whadda ya think this is fuckin' Dr. Phil?" She demanded. "You were right," she scoffed turning to a smug looking Raphael. "This is some Twilight Zone class shit. Next he's gonna be suggestin' we all start keepin' dream journals or some shit. Well I'll tell ya right now. That shit," she waved her finger back and forth in front of her, "is not gonna happen."

"Stella," Donatello groaned while rubbing his three fingered hand tiredly over his head. "I'm only trying to be reasonable here. Now I admit I let my own feelings get the best of me for a while there but I really do think we all need to cool off and talk about this like adults. Can we do that, please?"

Stella frowned and looked to either side of her to gauge both Michelangelo and Raphael's reactions. On her right side Mikey looked torn between wanting to keep the peace and wanting to be heard for once while on her left Raphael looked ready to brawl at any moment. Obviously neither turtle would be much help. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and focused on her breathing for a few seconds.

"Fine," she finally answered throwing up her hands. "Fine. We'll try it your way but if this doesn't work we're doin' it Raph's way and beating our feelings out of each other. Capiche?"

"Savages," Leonardo muttered darkly under his breath earning him a sharp look from Donatello.

"Agreed. Now why don't we all just calm down and talk about this. Raph you said you left to find Stella, how did you know where to look? Did Mikey tell you?"

Raphael took a calming breath before shaking his head. "Nah, I didn' even know Mikey was in contact wit' her until about a week ago."

"Then how did you find her? If she's been ghosting in and out and even I couldn't track her how did you manage it?"

"You know I've been wondering that myself," Stella added looking at him curiously. "How did you find me?"

The large red banded turtle shrugged nonchalantly. "Wasn' hard I knew exactly where ta go. Like I told ya Stel, I know ya betta' than anyone. I knew exactly where ya'd be."

"Where was she Raph?" Mikey asked from his new perch on the back of the couch.

"Fuckin' Kokomo," he snorted and shook his head at the ridiculousness of her hiding place.

"Kokomo? Like the song?" Donatello asked.

"Exactly like tha song. Since we was kids Stel always wanted ta run off ta Kokomo wheneva' shit got tough. I figured what the hell? I'd give it a shot, turns out I was right."

"Wow that was, huh," Stella said. "I didn' think anyone'd remember. Good job Raph."

Raphael smirked "It's what I do."

"Alright but that still doesn't explain your injuries," Leo pointed out.

The smirk faded from Raphael's face, replaced instead by a look of embarrassment. "Yeah I uh got them durin' a hurricane."

"A hurricane?" Mikey squeaked in awe.

"Well kinda. Stel you wanna explain' since I wasn' entirely with it?"

Stella rolled her eyes. "Genius that he may be at finding me, apparently Raph here is not so good at wound care. Anyway after arrivin' on the island he began stakin' out my place waitin' around for a few weeks for me ta get home. At some point he cut himself and rather than actually take care of it, he allowed this nasty gash in his leg," she pointed to the shiny pink scar that now ran up his leg, "to get infected which in turn caused him to come down with a nasty fever and eventually a loss of consciousness. So there I am driving as fast as I can, trying to get home before this fuckin' hurricane hits when the old barn at the end of my road gets blown to bits by the wind and not only does my car get hit by a bunch of this building but something solid lands on the hood and falls onta tha road. Turns out it was this Einstein. When I found him his shell was cracked, his hand was broken, he needed stitches for the gash in his head and leg, he was suffering from a nasty fever, and he was completely unconscious. No doubt he probably woulda died out there from either his injuries or the storm if I hadn't been running late getting home. He was really fucking lucky."

"Shit," Michelangelo breathed wide eyed as he surveyed the scars left behind by the damage Stella had just described.

"So then what?" Donatello pressed.

"Then I decided I needed to bring him home. I had promised Mikey that I would try to get home in time for Christmas so I figured I'd just drag him along with me. So, after he was out of the woods I loaded him up in my boat and brought him back."

"Your boat?" Leo asked. "Where did you get a boat?"

"I won it in a card game," she replied, "but that's not important right now."

"So Raph found you or I guess you both kind of found one another, and you brought him home," Donatello furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "Then why didn't you come back to the Lair together the other day?"

"Theatrics?" Stella shrugged. "I also had some legal stuff to take care of," she gestured toward the sheaf of papers laying on the kitchen table.

Leo reached over and helped himself to the stack of papers, flipping through them quickly. "You bought a building?"

"She bought me a building!" Michelangelo jumped in, excited to finally share his big news.

Raphael rolled his eyes and knocked his youngest brother upside the head although with less force than he usually might. "She already told ya bonehead, she didn' buy you a buildin' she's jus' lettin' ya use some a it."

"Use it for what exactly?" Leo asked suspiciously.

"I'm opening a comic book store." Mikey announced proudly, a wide smile lighting up his face. "Stella is giving me the storefront next to hers and I'm gonna open my own store. It's gonna be epic!"

"You're opening a store?" Donny asked slowly.

"Yep! Stel even figured out how I can run it without freaking people out."

Donatello shook his head. "Mikey I'm not sure that's such a good idea-"

"Why not?" Raphael demanded, jumping to the aid of his crestfallen looking brother. "Mike's a smart guy, I mean when he wants ta be," he amended, not unkindly while Stella wrapped a comforting arm around her youngest brother's shoulders in a show of silent support. "If he wants ta open a comic book store I say we let 'em. Sides it's not like he's alone, Stel or April or Case will be right next door."

"I agree with Don. I just don't think Mikey is ready," Leo said.

"You don't think I'm ready for anything," Michelangelo blurted out angrily. "You don't trust me and you never take me or what I have to say seriously. I'm not a kid anymore, you can't keep treating me like your dumb kid brother. Stella's been gone and Raph's had his head stuck up his ass for the past three years and they can see that I've grown up. Why can't either of you?" He demanded while Stella rubbed soothing circles on his back and Raphael crossed his arms and nodded his head in agreement. "Oh and I'm moving out," he added hastily.

Leo and Donny just stared at their baby brother in disbelief before his last statement processed in their shocked brains.

"What do you mean you're moving out?" Leo asked sounding a bit dazed.

"I mean I'm moving out of the Lair. With Don's kids it's going to be really crowded really soon and I'm sorry bro, I love kids but I'm not ready to have someone else's rugrats crampin' my style. There's an apartment next door over the store and I'm gonna move in."

"And I suppose this was your idea as well?" Donny asked looking at Stella who just shrugged.

"I offered and he accepted. It's not like I twisted his arm. Like he said, he is an adult, he can make decisions for himself all I did was provide the opportunity."

"And you?" he turned his gaze to his oddly silent older brother. "Are you moving into an apartment next door too?"

"Nah," Raph snorted, "I'm movin' in here, permanently."

"Permanently?" Leo muttered looking more than a little bewildered by the sudden upheaval within his team. "This apartment is barely big enough for one," he pointed out.

"I'm having a wall knocked out and expanding the apartment into next door," Stella explained. "There'll be more than enough room."

"I can't- have you spoken to Sensei about any of this?"

"Daddy thinks it's a good idea. He's actually the one who suggested that I offer the empty apartment to Mikey."

Leo's head thunked noisily onto the table as he collapsed heavily back into his chair. "I can't believe it," he muttered quietly to himself. "Mutiny, total mutiny."

"Stop being such a drama queen Leo," Stella admonished. "It's not mutiny it's just growing up. It happens. You got to do it, Don did it. Why can't we?"

"I- this is just too much," Leo stared at the table top with wide eyes. "Next you'll be telling me Mikey has a secret love child and that the two of you are secretly married." He narrowed his eyes and shot his head up. "You're not secretly married are you?"

Stella and Raphael both stared at him like a couple of deer trapped in the glare of headlights while Mikey began to choke on his own saliva causing Donatello to narrow his eyes at them as well as he studied the pair in front of him. "Pft, no!" Raphael laughed suddenly, something about his voice sounding slightly off. "Secretly married, to Stella. Yeah right, that's a good one Leo. Secretly married."

"Good because if any of you drop any more bombs on me I swear, I'm going to completely lose my mind."

Donatello tore his gaze away from the guilty looking threesome to regard his oldest brother critically. "You know Leo I know Master Splinter suggested that we spend the night up here but I'm beginning to feel like that might not be the best idea given the current emotional climate." His other three siblings rolled their eyes, "Perhaps we should go back to the Lair to decompress."

Leo nodded his head. "I think you're right," he agreed. "I'm sure Sensei will understand." Standing quickly he nodded his head slightly toward his younger siblings. "Good night. I'm certain I'll be seeing you in the morning for practice."

"Sure thing dude," Mikey replied as Leo pulled open the window and climbed out into the darkness leaving Donatello behind.

"I don't know what you're up to but I know you're hiding something," he declared while sizing up his three remaining siblings. "Don't kid yourselves, I will find out what it is sooner or later. Might as well come clean." When he didn't receive an answer he just shook his head. "Fine do it your way but I promise I will figure it out eventually." With nothing more said he followed Leonardo's path out into the night and pulled the window shut behind him with an audible snap.


	21. Chapter 21

"Has he always been that creepy?" Michelangelo asked with a shudder as he stared out the window Donatello had just disappeared through.

"Nah, must be somethin' havin' to do wit bein' a fatha'," Raphael mused while twirling one of his Sai absentmindedly as he too stared out the window. "Whadda ya think Stel?" he asked only to have his question met by silence causing him to furrow his brow and turn around in his seat."Stel?" he called. "Hey, whatta ya doin?" He asked once he saw that she was still in the room.

Stella held up a finger and gestured for him to hold on. After a few seconds of intense scribbling, she held up a small sign. On it she instructed them to keep talking but not to mention anything juicy. She was going to take care of something.

Mikey quirked an eye ridge at her and Raphael looked slightly worried that perhaps she was getting paranoid but the brothers decided to humor her.

As the two turtles began discussing something they had watched on television recently, Stella dashed into her room and began digging furiously through her suitcases until she found what she was looking for. She emerged moments later clutching a small black box with a meter attached to the front. Curious, both males watched her as she began scanning the small apartment from top to bottom, occasionally reaching out to collect a small object before hanging almost completely out the window.

"Stel are you sure-," Michelangelo's question was cut off by Stella waving at him to give her one more minute. After a few seconds she pulled the windowpane shut. Between her fingertips she held a small black piece of plastic. With a roll of her eyes she smashed the small device between her fingertips and walked toward the bathroom to flush it down the toilet.

"What the heck was that?" Mikey asked eyeing her dubiously when she reentered the living room carrying a laptop.

Stella rolled her eyes and plopped herself on worn sofa and flipped the laptop open. "Don bugged the place. I knew he would, he practically shouted it out when he made his dramatic, overly creepy exit. He's so predictable that it's actually kind of insulting."

"Right…" Michelangelo trailed off as he began to look more suspiciously around the small apartment.

Stella smiled and patted her youngest brother reassuringly on the shoulder. "Don't worry I got 'em all Mikey and just in case I somehow missed one I placed a couple of jammers around the place, so there's no way he's going to be able to listen in. Not like there's a lot to listen in on but still, it's the principal of the thing."

Raphael smirked and shook his head as he took a seat on Stella's other side. "Outsmartin' the smartie, I'm impressed Stel."

"Thanks Raph," Stella's smile grew even wider. "Now, who wants to listen in on Donny and Leo?" She asked gesturing toward the computer in her lap.

Michelangelo's big blue eyes grew comically wide and Raphael's mouth dropped open. "You bugged Don and Leo?" Raph asked in a voice that rose barely above a whisper as he leaned over to examine the small, brightly lit screen.

Looking like the cat that ate the canary Stella nodded. "Oh hell yeah! No way am I gonna let them get away without a little payback. It's only fair."

"You are my hero," Michelangelo whispered reverently as he too leaned over for a look. "You're like- like an undercover ninja spy or somethin'."

Stella cocked an eyebrow before rolling her eyes. Her youngest brother's descriptions were always, unique. "Uh thanks Mikey. Anyway, who's up for a listen?" She asked while clicking through a series of menus before opening the program she wanted.

Raphael threw his arm around the small woman and pulled her tightly into his side. "You're scary as fuck Stel," he complimented her. "Standin' up ta Fearless like that, infiltratin' the Foot. Now you're turnin' Don's tech against the little brainiac. What's next? Ya plannin' on takin' over a small country or somethin'?" He laughed.

"Well-," she replied causing both turtles to snap their heads toward her, their eyes wide with anticipation. She couldn't help but snicker at both of their looks of shock. "No I'm not plannin' on takin' over any small countries or any size countries before you ask," she gave Mikey a pointed look. Both Raphael and Michelangelo let out small sighs of relief at this news. "I just find knowin' what's going to be pretty useful. Helps keep me from getting' into too much trouble."

"Yeah, I could think of a time or twenty when knowin' what was waitin' for me at home would a been useful," Michelangelo mused. "So uh, how's this thing work?"

"Pretty simple really," she replied. "The bugs I planted on both Leo and Donny link directly into my computer system so, by opening this program here," she double clicked on a small icon and a new window popped up, "I can now not only listen in on what they're saying, I can also track them pretty much anywhere on the planet."

"Whoa," Mikey breathed, obviously impressed.

Raphael furrowed his brow. "Not that I don't think you're not a genius or nothin' Stel but I don' rememba' you bein' so," he waved his hands around as he searched for just the right word.

"Tech savvy?" Stella prompted.

"Sure, yeah we'll go with that."

"I wasn't until pretty recently," she admitted as she enlarged the newly opened screen and turned up the volume, "but some shit was necessary. It's kinda amazing what you can learn when you don't have a choice. There was no way I was going to be able to succeed in anything if I didn't get my shit together and learn a few new skills and I figured knowing how to manipulate computers should be at the top of the list. Before I even left I had begun learning how to hack security systems with Donny's help and once I left I took what I had learned and I went from there." She shrugged as Leonardo's voice crackled to life through the speakers as he began to banter back and forth with Donny about Hera's health. Apparently they had reached the sewer system and were feeling confident enough to break their silence.

The trio listened to their brothers chatting back and forth about the coming babies for a few minutes before Leo mentioned his siblings. "Thanks for backing me up in there Don. I was certain I was going to completely lose my mind, especially once I found out Sensei is backing them up on some of this nonsense."

"Of course I'm going to stand by you Leo. Someone needs to be the voice of reason in these types of delicate family situations." The trio on the couch a few blocks away groaned in unison but went silent again almost instantly once Donatello continued speaking. "I worry that perhaps Sensei has been blinded by his joy over Stella's return and isn't thinking clearly. He is getting older and this may be too much for him to handle right now, we need to tread very carefully so as not to upset him."

Raphael snorted, shaking his head with disgust. "He's not a fuckin' piece a glass. Jus' a few weeks ago he nearly beat us all black an' blue durin' taninzu-gake." Michelangelo nodded his head in silent agreement before turning his attention back to the conversation taking place several miles away.

"You know, I'm used to that sort of dissent from Raph, I expect it even, but Michelangelo has never-," Leonardo trailed off. "I don't know what I expected to be honest. Ever since Stella showed back up I've felt like-"

"Like things are quickly spinning out of control or like there's an entire silent conversation taking place that you have no part of?" Donatello asked.

"Good, so it's not just me. You noticed it too."

"Of course I did. There is without a doubt there is something else going on that they're obviously intent on hiding from us."

"What do you think it is?" Leonardo asked. "It's not something we need to be worried about, is it?"

"I'm not sure but whatever it is, I don't like it and I don't trust them," Donatello sighed heavily. "Nothing is making much sense at the moment. To be honest I was blindsided by Stella's appearance and I've been rather," he paused for a moment, "distracted ever since, but now that I have a moment to think I intend to find out what they're up to."

"You've got a plan I assume."

"Of course I have a plan," Donatello retorted sounding slightly affronted. "I bugged the apartment." He stated matter-of-factly. "It's only a matter of time before we know exactly what's going on. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they've already spilled whatever secret they're trying to hide. We'll know more in the morning I'm sure. I'd venture to bet that as we speak they're scrambling around trying to figure out how to avoid being found out."

"Really?" Leo sounded amused. "Exactly what did you do to get them talking?"

"I may have threatened them about finding out, one way or another. I tried to channel the whole 'Big Brother is watching' vibe. That's sure to creep at least Michelangelo out."

"And?"

"And you should have seen his face," Donatello laughed. "Mikey looked just about ready to wet his shell."

"Hey!" Michelangelo protested indignantly from his seat on the couch. "I did not," he pouted crossing his arms over his plastron.

"Shut up!" Raphael growled, reaching behind Stella and slapping the orange banded turtle upside the head before draping his arm back around Stella's small shoulders, "I'm tryin' ta listen."

Leonardo let out another hearty laugh while in the background the sound of stones shifting could be heard indicating their arrival at the underground lair. "I bet he did."

The pair continued to talk for a few more minutes, the conversation becoming more hushed and drifting toward more mundane topics before they eventually bid one another good night and Stella clicked out of the program plunging the apartment into silence.

"I say we just duke this shit out," Raphael grumbled from his corner of the couch. "No more talkin'. Those two are so self-important it annoys tha shit outta me."

"For once I agree with ya dude," Mikey added. "Why are they so set everything bein' so, so-"

"Structured?" Stella suggested.

"Yeah so structured," the orange banded turtle agreed. "Thanks Stel, I couldn't think a the word."

Stella shrugged her shoulders as she powered down her laptop and passed it to Raphael so he could set it on the end table out of harm's way. "I'd just like to point out that this is the type of bullshit I was talking about earlier. I'm so sick of everything I do being scrutinized and dissected by everyone. Ugh," she stood suddenly and rolled her neck to release some of the tension that had built up there. "I'm goin' out," she announced as she began walking back toward her bedroom. "Either of you want to come with?" She asked as she pulled off her sweatshirt and switched it out for a black, formfitting jacket.

"You don't just mean for a leisurely walk do you?" Mikey asked as he watched her disappear through the doorway, only for her to return a few seconds later wearing a matching pair of black pants and some lightweight black boots.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a lil' run down to the warehouse district ta try and catch some action." She said while she began tucking various implements into the custom designed belt she wore.

"Nah, I'm gonna just veg here on the couch if that's cool. It's nice to have a little Mikey time if you know what I mean."

"How 'bout you Raph?" She asked while pulling out a hair band and tying her hair back so it was out of her face.

"Do ya even have ta ask?" He said as he too rose to his feet and gathered up his weapons before pulling on his own coat.

"Cool. Well we'll see ya later then, 'aight Mikey?"

"Yeah, have fun you too," he said with a wink before he grabbed the remote and flipped on the television set.

"Ready?" Stella asked from the fire escape as Raphael pulled the living room window shut behind them.

"Hell yeah," he smirked. "I can't wait ta beat the shit outta some deservin' punks."

"You an me both," she agreed. Without any more words exchanged, they climbed to the roof of the building and began their run, jumping from rooftop to rooftop as they hunted down the city's predators.

It wasn't long before they spotted trouble. Stella pulled her mask over her face before giving Raphael a thumbs up letting him know she was ready to go.

Without a sound they dropped down in the middle of a mugging that was taking place in the back of an alley. With a minimal number of strikes, they were able to disarm and subdue the strung out junkie who had been holding a near frozen homeless man at knife point. As soon as she finished checking on the victim, Stella pulled out her phone and called the police before climbing back up a nearby fire escape to wait with Raph for the police to arrive and deal with the situation.

"So-," Stella hedged, wanting to start a conversation but unsure of how to begin.

"I don' like it either."

Stella gave the red banded turtle a sidelong glance before turning her gaze back to the scene taking place below as the paramedics and police officers arrived. "You think we should just…" she trailed off knowing he would pick up the rest of her thought.

"Yeah," he shrugged his shoulders and shifted slightly closer to her. "I'm sicka this shit. Seems like no matta what happens anymore none a us really trust anymore."

She bit her bottom lip. "Cause of me?" She asked.

He shrugged his shoulders again. "It didn' help," he said finally, "but I think this goes back even before Fearless left us. We was all fightin' all a the time an I think we jus' ignored it. I know I sure as hell did," he admitted as Stella scooted over until she was pressed against his side.

She sighed heavily as the police loaded the punk into the back of a squad car and followed the ambulance out onto the street. "I don't know how to fix this Raph," she admitted as he draped a heavy arm around her shoulders and pulled her even more tightly into his side, soaking up her warmth and the comfort her presence provided. "I know you hoped I could but I just don't know what I'm doing."

Raphael scoffed and pulled Stella onto his lap while he brought his other arm around to wrap around her small frame. "Ya doin' great so far," he mumbled into her hair as he nuzzled closer to her. "Ya sure as hell helped me an' Mikey. Now we jus' gotta deal wit' Fearless an' the Brain."

"What about the girls?" she asked. "I mean they're kinda' here to stay, I get that, but where the fuck do I start with that? And don't suggest some sort of fuckin' slumber party or dance night or some shit because this is real life not some fuckin' fantasy land where dancin' together an' getting all done up is actually gonna bring us together and fix shit."

Raph chuckled. "You been readin' those fuckin' Young Adult novels again?" he asked earning him a punch in the arm since it was all Stella could reach given her current position.

"I haven't," she pouted, "not recently anyway," she admitted after a moment of silence. "They're just ridiculous with how often they try to solve problems just by wearing a guy's favorite color and dancing. Anyway, that's not the point. The point is shit doesn't work like that. I don't trust them," Raphael opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off. "I know you do, you don't have to tell me it's obvious. I know you never woulda let them stick around this long if ya didn' but I don' know them an' they don' know me an' its gonna take a lot to get me to trust them."

He nodded his head in understanding as they sank back into a comfortable silence broken only by the sounds of the city below their feet.

"I hate bein' a fuckin' grown up," Stella mumbled sometime later.

Raphael didn't say anything, knowing from years of experience that Stella would explain her random outburst eventually if she was given a moment to collect her thoughts into something intelligible.

"I miss just bein' a fuckin' kid and bein' able to just say fuck it before letting the chips fall where they may and darin' anyone to fuckin' complain about it. Now I feel like- like I'm obligated to worry about not only everyone's safety but also their feelings and shit. Plus now Don's gonna have kids an' I don' know how that's gonna change everythin' which is hard 'cause everythin' is different anyway. Ya know? Plus then I've got ta worry 'bout my work wit' tha Foot and tha store. And then there's you…" She trailed off, twisting her body around on his lap so she could face him.

Raphael was staring out over the city with a stony look on his face. He frowned deeply before turning his eyes down to meet her own. "Look Stel I get it," he furrowed hi s brow, "if this is too much for ya…"

"What?" Stella pulled back slightly. "Are you fuckin' kidding me? That's what you got out of that? That this," she gestured between the two of them, "is too much for me?"

"Well yeah," he grunted, running his right hand absentmindedly over his head. "Am I missin' somethin'?"

"You're an idiot," she declared fondly as a crooked smile took over her face. "I mean I don't want to fuck this up 'cause it's kinda a priority to me. I mean don' get me wrong," she continued," I will fuck this up that's pretty much guaranteed but honestly so will you and I'm okay with that 'cause I know that no matter how bad we fuck shit up we've always had each other's backs. Right?" she asked sounding slightly insecure for the first time.

The large turtle let out a sigh of relief and brought his arm back down to tangle it in her hair as he pulled her face closer to his own. "Abso-fuckin'-lutely," he growled before pulling her forcefully forward and pressing his mouth aggressively against his own.

The pair poured more feeling into the forceful kiss than they would ever have been able to or comfortable with expressing through words. "Fuck, I love ya Stel," Raphael panted as he rested his forehead against her own once they had been forced apart by a mutual need for oxygen.

"I love you too," she replied before pressing a much more chaste kiss on his lips. "Sorry for ramblin' but fuck Raph, I've jus' been on my own for so fuckin' long that I'm sufferin' from a serious case of word vomit."

"It's cool," he said before lifting her off of his lap so they could both stand back up before they froze in place and became permanent statuary atop the shitty apartment building they were currently perched atop.

"So what now?" Stella asked as they began slowly jogging back toward the apartment.

Raphael leapt across the space between roofs before replying. "I say we jus' tell 'em. I'm really not lookin' forward to it but fuck, it's jus' gonna make shit worse if we don'. 'Sides, Mike can' keep his trap shut for that fuckin' long no matter how bad he wants ta. If Don an Leo suspect somethin' it's only a matta' a time before they break 'im."

"True story," she agreed as she joined him on the new roof before jogging toward the next divide. "I think we should tell Dad first though, you know, make sure we don' kill him with shock or anythin'."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Do you think he's gonna be pissed?" He asked sounding truly worried about their father's reaction to finding out about their budding romantic relationship.

Stella considered it for a moment before shaking her head. "Nah, I'm pretty sure he already knows how I feel about you though I' not sure he's gonna be totally thrilled to hear we're shackin' up."

"Livin' in sin," the red banded turtle joked before leaping powerfully over to yet another rooftop. Stella simply rolled her eyes before following him across the gap.

The rest of the run back to the apartment was devoid of any further conversation. Upon reaching the small apartment, Raphael pulled open the bedroom window so as not to disturb Michelangelo who had fallen asleep on the couch in front of the television set.

Silently the pair shed their outerwear before getting ready for bed. There was no rush to get into bed this time, they were both so worn out that they knew if they didn't get some sleep the next morning's training session would [potentially kill them both. Instead they simply went about getting ready for bed just as they had a hundred times before. "You comin' ta bed?" Raphael asked as he climbed under the covers and made himself comfortable.

"In a minute," Stella replied in a hushed voice. "I'm just gonna turn off the television set and make sure Mikey isn't cold. I'll be right back."

Silently, Stella padded on bare feet out of the bedroom and into the living room where Michelangelo was snoring softly. She couldn't help but shake her head at the position he had fallen asleep in. He was currently on his back with one leg thrown over the back of the couch while one arm rested on the ground and his head dangled precariously off of the cushions.

Gently so as not to wake him, Stella managed to reposition him so that the majority of his upper body was resting more securely on the cushions. With the push of a button she shut off the television set before grabbing a nearby throw and draping it across her youngest brother's sleeping form. Pressing a quick kiss to his forehead, she turned and silently made her way back toward the bedroom.

"He sleepin'?" Raphael asked from the bed.

"Yeah," she replied as she climbed into the spot he opened up for her before being covered in blankets and pulled closer toward his body.

"It's good ta have ya back Stel, no matta how fuckin' stupid Leo an' Don are bein," he mumbled drowsily as she turned toward his plastron and nestled in as closely as she could. "They'll come around an' I promise ya, I got ya back, no matta what happens."


	22. Chapter 22

Before the sun had a chance to crest the horizon, the three Hamotos began their descent into the bowels of the city. They sleepily trudged along through the early morning silently, navigating the labyrinth of corridors beneath the surface completely by memory. The only light that penetrated the darkness came through overhead grates that opened up into the outside world as the sun began to rise. After a while, even these glimpses of weak winter sunlight fell behind them as they went deeper into the sheltered bowels of the sewers.

Finally, they reached the hidden entryway to the lair and the youngest of the three stepped forward to unlock the doorway. Immediately they were met by a welcome glow of electric lights and a blast of heat. Still moving slowly, they shed their heavy winter gear before walking toward the flickering lights coming from behind the rice paper screens.

Raphael led the way to the dojo and pulled the sliding door open for Stella and Michelangelo to enter before pulling it back shut behind himself. Leo and Donatello were already seated before Master Splinter as were their wives, Artie, and another turtle Stella assumed must be Demi.

Michelangelo strode over to his customary position while Stella hung back. For as long as she could remember she had always occupied the space between Raphael and Leonardo but that spot had been filled during her absence by Leonardo's wife.

Her uncertainty must have been plain to see as Raphael purposely brushed by her in order to gain her attention and jerked his head in a silent signal to follow him as he passed up his customary position in favor of an open space near Michelangelo. He settled onto his knees, leaving enough space between himself and his youngest brother for Stella to sit.

"Welcome my children," Master Splinter greeted them with a nod after a few minutes of silence that were meant to be used as time for private reflection before training. "I am most pleased to have all of you here with me as a family. It is most important that we come together as such for there are those that would seek to drive us apart now more than ever. Remember my children, individually we are strong but united we are unbreakable."

After meditation was over they began stretching and warming up. As the eight turtles began their daily exercises, Stella moved off to begin her own training regime. Because her physique was so much different than that of the turtles, her exercises had always been very different than those of her brothers since the agility and flexibility they worked so hard to attain had always come quite naturally to her. After stretching her muscles, she began performing a variety of gymnastic exercises while she waited for everyone else to finish their own stretches.

Once everyone had finished their exercises, Master Splinter split them up into pairs in order to work on particular skills. It was because of this that Stella found herself being forced to work with Leonardo leading to a very despondent looking Artemis.

"Stella," he greeted her coolly, obviously still angry with her from the night before. He offered her a stiff bow which she returned just as stiffly before sinking into a defensive position. Splinter had instructed them to begin working on hand to hand combat that morning before they moved on to weapons training.

As they began to circle one another, Stella took note of her brother's improved form. He had always been a perfectionist about his stance and execution, often working himself to the point of exhaustion as he strove to master every aspect of Ninjutsu. It was something Raphael teased him for mercilessly growing up but Stella had always respected him for as she had always been just as obsessive about mastering new forms of weaponry.

As they began to spar, Leonardo went on the offensive and began striking out quickly and efficiently but Stella was able to repeatedly dodge his perfectly executed attacks because although they were flawlessly executed, they followed a set pattern, like a dance.

As she defended herself against her older brother's strikes, Stella made note of just how strictly he was adhering to a set form and how unwilling he was to venture outside of his norm. In a real fight any opponent who caught on to his patterns would be able to gain the upperhand which could quickly turn deadly. Luckily for Leonardo Stella was only looking to defeat and slightly humiliate her anal retentive older brother rather than going in for the kill strike.

Deciding that a bit of improvisation was exactly what was needed in order to gain the upper hand in their sparring, she smoothly transitioned from Ninjutsu to a form of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu that she had studied for a few months during her travels in an effort to add more dimensions to her own fighting ability.

Her sudden transition between forms did the trick as Leonardo had allowed himself to become overconfident in judging his sister's next move and assumed that she would remain true to form. When Stella suddenly dropped to the ground to avoid his kick rather than blocking as he had expected her to, Leonardo found himself falling to the mats as she unexpectedly used leverage to apply a joint lock and bring him to the ground and keep him subdued.

Not used to the grappling style she was using and refusing to respond with similar moves, Leo was at her mercy. "Stella what the shell do you think you're doing?" he hissed angrily as he tried to regain his footing but found himself taken down by his smaller opponent time and time again before being placed in a number of submissive holds, quickly gaining the attention of everyone else in the room.

"Yame!" Master Splinter finally called out halting the intense grappling match taking place on the floor. As all other sessions had been completely abandoned in favor of watching Leonardo being dominated by the tiny woman, the elderly rat found himself having to push past his other children in order to address the pair of grapplers. Panting heavily, Stella and Leonardo quickly disentangled themselves and jumped to their feet before bowing respectfully to their father and sensei.

"What is the meaning of this?" Splinter demanded, eying both of his children suspiciously.

Leo was the first to answer. "Sensei, I was staying true to form and sparring as we were meant to when Stella," he gave his sister a disparaging glance, "decided just to throw technique away completely and tackled me to the floor like some kind of savage."

Stella scoffed and rolled her eyes at her older brother's ridiculous dramatics. "You're just mad that I pinned you so easily." She taunted.

The blue banded turtle opened his mouth to argue back but was interrupted by his father. "Enough," Splinter said striking the floor with his staff. "Leonardo you misunderstand. What I was truly asking was why you were allowing yourself to be dominated so easily? You of all my sons should recognize Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as soon as you see it. Perhaps it is time for a review of other fighting styles, especially since your sister was using near perfect form, although you could be a bit more precise with your joint locks," he pointed out with a nod toward his daughter.

Stella schooled her features to hide her satisfaction and nodded her head in acceptance of her father's directions for improving her form. "Hai Sensei," she replied with a nod.

Leonardo looked completely flabbergasted and tried to recover his composure while the rest of the family snickered behind their hands or fans as the case may be. "But- but Sensei," he argued stubbornly, "she- the change of forms. I- we were meant to be working on our Ninjutsu not on Jiu Jitsu."

"Leonardo," Splinter replied with a shake of his head, "the only directions I gave you were to spar with your partner without using any weapons. I never said you had to use only one style of fighting, you should be prepared for anything. I would remind all of you," he said turning his gaze toward the rest of his students, "that our enemies are not all trained in the art of Ninjutsu and will use any means necessary to win a fight. You must be prepared to respond to any change without hesitation. Do not presume that you know what your opponent will do next as it could be the worst mistake you ever make. Leonardo, I would have you spar with your sister again and this time do not allow your over confidence in predicting your opponent's next move blind you to what is actually taking place."

"Hai Sensei," Leo finally relented bowing his head to his master while his face burned red with embarrassment.

"Begin," Splinter commanded.

As Leonardo and Stella once again began to spar, the elderly Ninjutsu master turned his attention toward the enraptured audience around him. "The rest of you, back to your own exercises and take a lesson from your brother and sister. Do not allow yourselves to become comfortable with your opponent lest they use your overconfidence to overcome you."

"Hai Sensei," the group responded before moving back to the various areas around the dojo to resume sparring.

After watching his children spar for a while longer and providing feedback on all of their techniques, Splinter once again split up his pupils into groups in order to work on their weapons before forcing them to exchange weapons and fight once again.

Predictably Stella was best at this task as she had trained with so many different forms of weaponry. She was followed closely not by Leonardo or Hera but by Raphael which surprised her immensely as she had never know him to be nearly as interested in learning how to handle any weapons other than his sai and occasionally the manriki. "How'd you get so good with so many different weapons?" She panted as they came together once again in a clash of steel as their weapons connected.

Raphael shrugged slightly before bringing Stella's kame around only to be met with his own sai time and time again as she expertly held off his attacks. "Had ta find somethin' ta do while you was gone," he grunted.

"Oh," she replied guiltily before slipping around his defenses and bringing the sai to the large turtle's throat and rendering him powerless to react lest she puncture his jugular.

After practice was over Stella could tell, based on the winks and hopeful smiles that had been thrown her way all throughout the morning, that Artie was eager to ask her a million and one questions but she had more important things to do first, like talk to her father about her relationship with Raphael.

"You ready?" Raph asked under his breath as Stella mopped her sweat drenched brow with an old towel.

She took a deep breath and flicked her eyes up to meet his. "As ready as I'll ever be." At that very moment her phone began to ring. Reaching out she picked up the small device. Glancing down at the incoming number Stella froze for a moment before biting her lip. "I-uh, I have to take this. I'm sorry, it's really important just – gimme a few minutes," she said apologetically as she hit the receive button and walked away in order to get some privacy.

When she returned several minutes later her face looked grim but she tried to mask her emotions by plastering a nonplussed look upon her face.

"Who was that?" Donatello asked suspiciously as soon as she returned to where everyone else had gathered in the living room.

"Don't worry about it Don," she replied a bit more snippily than she intended.

"Geeze, what crawled up her butt and died this morning?" He groused to Hera who just shrugged her shoulders unsure of how to respond to her husband before she followed him into the makeshift nursery where they were keeping their eggs incubated while waiting for them to hatch.

Stella ignored him and came to stand beside Michelangelo. "Where's Raph?" She asked.

He jerked his finger over his shoulder toward Splinter's room. "He's in there but I wouldn't go in just yet. Splinter pulled Raph in while you were on the phone so who knows what's goin' on." Stella's shocked expression did not go unnoticed but thankfully no one chose to make any snide comments.

She was unsure of whether she should listen to Mikey's advice and stay away from the room or if she should bite the bullet and just barge in unannounced to support Raphael although Mikey had said that Splinter had called Raph in so there was a chance that they weren't even discussing his and Stella's relationship in which case she would not only be interrupting but also stirring up a possible hornet's nest. After a short internal struggle, she decided to wait until she knew more, just in case.

Unfortunately, Raphael's absence left Stella wide open to Artemis' and her barrage of questions. Plastering a smile on her face, she resigned herself to answering what she could while she waited for the large turtle to reemerge from his meeting with their father so that they might address the family and come clean about their relationship.

"So like, what was it like? Ya know, like traveling the world? I bet it was totes awesome," Artemis gushed admiringly while staring at Stella with her big blue eyes.

"It totally was," Mikey chimed in, proudly throwing an arm around his sister's shoulders and plopping down on the couch next to her before Stella could answer for herself while Demi and Tina took seats nearby.

"Hey Stel, why don't you tell Artie about the time you met that crazy old guy from Australia who dared you to go diving with those great white sharks without a shark cage! Ooh ooh! Or how about when you went to Germany and you met those two Brazilian girls at Oktoberfest and you ended up getting sick for a week from eating too many gummi bears and schnitzel? Or how 'bout that time you-," Michelangelo suddenly found himself cut off as Stella forcibly clamped his mouth shut.

"How's about you let me answer for myself, eh Mikey?" She asked him cocking her head to the side and fixing him with a disgruntled glance before leaning in and whispering in his ear. "And don't mention the sharks to Raph. He will literally lose his shit. Got it?"

"Got it," Michelangelo replied through his clamped lips.

"Anyway Artie, to answer your question, traveling was definitely not boring. There was always an adventure to be had if you knew where to look but sometimes it got really kinda lonely," Stella admitted as she remembered how many times she had wished she had someone to share her adventures with rather than telling Mikey about them over the phone or in a letter.

"Also, even though Mikey would like you to believe that all I did was roam around having these epic adventures like some kind of Indiana Jones wannabe, a lot of my time was spent training and keeping an eye out for trouble. I wasn't out there just to have fun, I was out there to make myself better so that I could keep everyone back here safer in the future."

"Yeah, by consorting with the enemy," Leo muttered darkly under his breath as he stalked by on his way to the shower. Stella closed her eyes and forced herself to count to ten. She knew he was trying to get a rise out of her and she was determined not to give him the satisfaction, well at least not yet anyway.

Luckily Artemis either didn't hear Leo's snide comment or decided to ignore it as she began to question Stella about everything from what her favorite type of ice cream was to who her favorite superhero of all time was.

Stella had just finished explaining to the enraptured female turtle why she felt that telekinesis would be her ultimate superpower as given the parameters it would also allow her the power to fly, when the door to Master Splinter's room slid open and Raphael stepped out.

"He's jus' left for LH's but he wants ta speak ta ya lata'," he mumbled to Stella as he walked past her on his way to the kitchen, presumably to find something to eat for breakfast.

"Uh sure okay," Stella nodded trying and failing to catch Raph's eye in an effort to get some sort of a read on what was going on, she hated operating blindly.

Excusing herself from Artie and Mikey, who had begun seriously discussing the pros and cons of every superpower imaginable, Stella strode towards the kitchen to try and get some kind of read on what was going on with Raph when an alarm began blaring throughout the lair. "What the f-"

Donatello dashed out of the nursery and into the lounge with Hera hot on his heels. "Something tripped the alarms!" he shouted.

"Where?" Raphael demanded as he rushed out of the kitchen still clutching his box of Golden Grahams.

Donny looked down at a small handheld device. "The East Side access tunnels," he replied his color rapidly fading. "There are numerous hits all over the place," Demi rushed over and snatched the small device from his hands.

"Whatever's going on its big," she confirmed as she began typing furiously on the small piece of equipment.

"Shit," Raph swore just as Leo came running out of the shower and began hastily strapping his scabbards to his shell.

"Where is that?" Stella asked turning to Mikey while Donny caught Leo up on what was going on.

"New set of tunnels they opened up while you were gone," he explained as he too began grabbing his weapons and strapping them into his belt. "They aren't really open for use yet but they do come really close to here and-" he was never given the chance to finish his explanation before he was interrupted by Leo barking out commands.

"Raph, you and Demi take the northern tunnels. Donny and I will take the southern tunnels. Mikey and Hera, you take Artie and check the western tunnels."

"So what, that leaves me an' Tit's McGee to check the non-existent eastern tunnels?" Tina demanded turning her disapproving gaze on her husband and earning a venomous glare from Stella.

"No," Leo sighed sounding frustrated, "you and Stella will be staying here."

"Dude, they'll murder each other," Mikey piped up in a hushed voice that was still loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Like hell I will!" Stella shouted angrily coming to stand by the tall female turtle currently glowering at the blue banded turtle. "You can't keep me here!" She declared clenching her hands into fists and glaring up at her older brother.

"Look, I don't have time to argue about this. We need to get out there and find out what's going on and someone has to stay here to watch the eggs," he pointed out. "Hera, Don, and Demi can't, they're too necessary for navigating the tunnels. Besides," he turned toward Stella, "you don't know where the tunnels even are," he pointed out.

"Well then, leave Artie behind," Tina demanded crossing her arms angrily and refusing to let the issue drop. "You can' tell me you don' need me out there Leo. I'm one a tha best fighters we've got."

"Tina," Hera chastised coming over to stand beside her counterpart.

"Look," Leo said stepping closer his wife and looking down into her eyes, "Master Splinter isn't here right now and if I thought Artie could handle it I would leave her here alone, believe me, but right now I need to know that everything here is under control so we can concentrate on our mission. As it is there is no one I trust more to protect our most precious treasures than you," he paused for a moment, "and Stella." He added somewhat grudgingly.

Tina continued to glower at him for a moment before angrily turning on her heel and stalking off, back into the lair.

"For the record I'm doing this under duress," Stella remarked, her tone bitter as she continued to glare daggers at her brother but you have my word that I will protect Donny's children with my life."

"Duly noted," Leo replied with a nod of his head before turning his attention back to the waiting teams. "Alright, let's go," he commanded before leading the charge out of the lair and into the subterranean tunnels, not one of the turtles sparing so much as a glance back at the two females left behind on babysitting duty.

As soon as the door to the lair shut behind the last of the turtles, Stella lashed out angrily by kicking the wall before storming back into the lounge and throwing herself down into the couch.

"This is bullshit," Tina declared stomping into the lounge holding a large bowl of Golden Grahams.

"Fucking ridiculous," Stella agreed darkly. "If you ask me he's probably just doing this to get back at me for making him look like a fuckin' noob earlier."

Tina shoveled in a large spoonful of her milk soaked cereal into her mouth before nodding her head. "Yeah," she agreed around a mouthful of food, "tha' was fuckin' genius by tha way. He was kinda getting' a fat head if ya ask me. I try ta keep 'im in line but sometimes his anal retentive tendencies are too much even for me ta handle."

Stella furrowed her brow as she considered the female version of Raphael standing before her. They bore so many similarities as far as looks and mannerisms that it was quite eerie. It made her wonder just how it was possible for Tina to have ended up with Leo of all her brothers since Leo and Raph were like oil and water at the best of times. "So uh Tina, I have to ask, how exactly did you and my brother…" she trailed off.

"Me an Leo ya mean? How does that work?" She was silent for a few moments as she considered the question. "I dunno," she shrugged her shoulders. "Hera an I almost never see eye ta eye but when it comes ta Leo it's jus' different- ya know, he's different. It's just like how Raph and I are alike in a lotta ways but at tha same time we're completely different. Anyway when it comes ta Leo I just- well I fuckin' love the guy. He can be as annoyin' as shit when he wants ta be and he knows how ta push my buttons but he also pushes me to be betta' every day and I know I can count on him, no matta what. 'Sides," she added dreamily, "it totally helps that he's smokin' hot and the shit he does in bed? Phenomenal. You thought he was nuts about learning his katas? You should see 'im in bed. He does with his-"

"Ugh," Stella grimaced throwing up her hands and trying to wrap her entire head up in her arms in order to shield her ears and her mind from the unwanted information, "No nope never!" she shouted. "That is just so much fuckin' information I never want to know."

Tina just shrugged her shoulders and continued eating her cereal. Stella shook her head and strode into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator she found everything to be less than appealing. Counting on Raph to come through for her she bent down and began rummaging around in one of the lower cabinets before producing two bottles of beer. Popping the cap off one she brought them both into the lounge where Tina was just finishing up her cereal.

Taking a long sip she caught Tina's eye and raised up the unopened bottle in question. "Oh fuck yeah," Tina said as Stella cracked off the cap and handed her the warm beer.

"How'd you know?" Tina asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Know what?" Stella asked as she began wandering around the lair, noting the differences in her old home since she had left years before.

"Any of it? How'd you know about that shit you got me for Christmas or that I'd be cool wit' drinkin' so early in tha mornin', 'specially when we're supposed ta be on guard duty?"

"Dunno," Stella shrugged. "All I really know 'bout you came from what Mikey's told me over tha years and from what he's said you an Raph have one or two things in common. I mean whose stash do ya think this is, Don's?" She let out a humorless laugh. "I'd have a better chance of curing the common cold than I would of finding the brainiac's liquor stash."

Tina took another swig of her drink and frowned at the small human woman in front of her. "You an Raph, you're pretty tight huh?"

"You're surprised? I thought everyone knew Raph and I used ta be known as tha twins."

"Yeah I heard an I remba' you some from when we first came here but nobody really says much 'bout ya. You're kinda a forbidden topic round here if you know what I mean. Even Leo never really told me much when I asked, jus' tha basics ya know."

"Yeah well, can ya blame them?" Stella asked as she took another long sip of her beer. "It's not like I left on the best of terms if you remember."

Tina snorted so hard she began to choke on her beer for a moment before finally regaining the ability to speak. "No shit, really? I though I had a bad tempa' but I've neva' seen anyone lose their shit tha way ol' Ralphie did. Tha only things standin' between him and losin' it completely were Masta' Splinta' and Mikey. If they hadn' talked him offa the ledge I'm pretty sure you woulda found your ass bein' hunted down by one pissed off turtle."

Stella couldn't help the slight smirk that crossed her face imagining Raph trying to track her during those first years. That would have been interesting.

"Well whateva' you're here now causin' chaos and stirrin' up a shit storm so ya can' be all bad," Tina continued before finishing off her beer with one long drink. "Don' get me wrong, I'm still fuckin' pissed that ya weren't at my fuckin weddin' but Mikey says ya were in Tibet or some shit so I guess I can let that go. 'Sides ya have some fuck awesome taste in bath goods an' you're clothes ain't too bad so I guess I can get behind havin' ya around, so long as you don' give me a reason to need ta fuck your shit up, 'cause I will, you can count on that."

"Yeah uh thanks, I guess, and uh same. You give me any reason to hate you and you'll wish you had never been mutated. If you thought Raph's temper was bad you haven't seen shit," Stella replied before finishing off the rest of her bottle and holding out her hand to relieve Tina of her empty. "So what now?" She asked looking around at the silent lair. "We jus' sit around twiddilin' our thumbs like a couple a assholes?"

"Seems like it," Tina agreed propping her feet up on the coffee table. "Hey, do me a favor an' don' mention this," she waved her hands towards her propped up feet, "ta Hera. I don' need anotha' lecture from my sista' 'bout respectin' our livin' environment anytime soon. Yeah?"

"Yeah, whatever," Stella replied as she walked toward the kitchen to dispose of the empty bottles when the walls around the lair began to shake.

"Oh you have got ta be fucking kidding me," she groaned aloud as she chucked the bottles in the bin and dove for some sort of weapon. "I swear this is not real fucking life, this kinda shit jus' doesn' happen to normal goddamn people."


	23. Chapter 23

Before her hand ever had a chance to close around a weapon, Stella found herself being tossed backwards as Tina bodily launched herself over the couch and into the small woman.

"No time!" Tina shouted pointing towards the doorway of the lair as it was breached not by some unknown enemy but by something potentially much more deadly.

"Oh fuck!" Stella swore as water began pouring through the various cracks around the lair, flash floods were a very real danger living in the sewers but Stella had never seen water rush in with such force before.

"We've gotta get outta here!" Tina yelled as freezing cold water began swiftly pouring in through the closed doorway and filling the subterranean lair.

"We've got to get the eggs!" Stella shouted as she began sprinting toward the nursery. "Tina grab my sea bag, it's by the tree," she directed as she rushed into the small room and began look around for something to wrap the silicate eggs in. "Shit that woulda hurt," she muttered under her breath as she saw for the first time just how large Hera's eggs really were.

"Like an ostrich," Tina agreed as she came skidding into the room carrying the sea bag while Stella swaddled the two eggs in as many blankets as possible to pad them inside of the bag. Tina had just secured the bag's clasps when the two females stopped dead in their tracks.

"Was that just the…" Stella began to say just as a wave of freezing water came crashing through the underground lair and began swirling around dangerously, ripping at everything in its path. "Mother fucker it's broken down the door! We have to go, now!" She shouted as she grabbed the bag from Tina's hands and strapped it securely onto her own back.

"But-" Tina protested watching the tiny human strap the large bag onto her narrow shoulders.

"It has to be me," Stella cut her off. "It won't fit around your shell. I'll be fine, no force on earth is going to separate me away from them, I swear."

Tina looked deeply into Stella's determined eyes and nodded her head in consent. "Which way?" she asked, growing more panicked by the second as the quickly moving water began creeping up over her knees and lifting up furniture as well as anything else that wasn't bolted down and tossing them around like leaves.

Stella looked wildly around as she fought to keep her footing. Being only five foot two, the water was causing her much more trouble than Tina who was nearly five foot ten and outweighed her by quite a bit. "Up!" She shouted stumbling out the door and into the chaos of the lair. "We're – we're going to have to climb the elevator shaft," she stuttered as she began to shiver. The water temperature was hovering somewhere just above freezing. "There's no other way out! Crap," she swore as she managed to snag Artie's kitten as it struggled past, trying valiantly to tread water and failing miserably.

"Alright, you go first," Tina shouted over the roar of the now waist high water that was clutching and tearing, threatening to drag the two females under at any moment.

Stella shook her head as she readjusted the large bag on her shoulders and passed Tina the near drowned kitten. "I'm not strong enough to pry the doors open at the top of the shaft. You're going to have to do it. Besides, I'm better able to handle the cold than you are," she pointed out.

Tina gave her an uncertain glance as she watched the water climb over Stella's chest moments before the lights went out.

"Oh mother fucker!" Both Tina and Stella screamed simultaneously in frustration.

"Come on! We've got to get out, now!" Stella screamed over the thunderous roar of the water as she clung blindly to a nearby doorjamb having lost her footing completely moments before when something massive slammed heavily into her hip.

"Dammit," Tina cried out as she swung herself and the small kitten, now embedded in her shoulder, up to cling to an overhead pipe as the water continued to rise. "Stella, you still with me?"

Stella sputtered around a mouthful of water and forced herself to continue moving though the maelstrom toward where she knew the elevator shaft to be. "I'm-I'm here," she assured Tina. As she came up behind her.

"Aight, I've ugh, just reached the elevator doors," Tina panted out while Stella focused on shielding the precious eggs from damage with her body as best she could while clinging to some sort of pipe. "I'm gonna need you ta hold onta the kitten while I dive down and wedge tha doors open. It's on my shoulda'."

"O-okay," Stella agreed reaching out blindly for Tina's shell. Finally connecting with the bumpy surface of the turtle's shell, she slid her hand upward until she felt something fuzzy. "I got it," she said as she pulled the kitten off of Tina's shoulder and placed it on her own before once again clutching at the pipe with two hands which were quickly losing feeling.

As soon as the kitten's claws were removed from her skin, Tina took a deep breath and dove into the water, using all her strength just to hold onto the elevator's doors. Once her feet hit bottom she struggled to brace herself before clawing open the large metal door. At first she encountered nothing but resistance but slowly the doors began to open and she managed to snag something solid and metal from off the floor and used it to hold the door open.

Her plan had been for her to pop back up but the sudden change in pressure sucked both her and god knows what else into the swirling vortex created by the now open elevator shaft and slammed around, being tossed head over heels like a rag doll.

For what seemed like an eternity, Stella waited for Tina to surface. She was nearly spent from not only clinging to the pipe in the freezing darkness but from also trying to shield her charges from harm. She had given her word that she would protect Donny's children with her life and she had no intention of breaking that promise.

Finally Tina's struggling breath reached her ears and she surged forward toward the source, reaching out she managed to snag the large turtle's shell just before she was dragged back underwater. Bracing herself, Stella held on with everything she had as she fought the water's powerful current. After a valiant struggle, Tina managed to grab a hold of the edge of the elevator while the water continued to rise. It was now nearly to the ceiling.

"Come on," Tina strained out as she blindly held her hand out to Stella. "We have to climb tha shaft, now!"

Taking a deep breath, Stella grabbed a hold of Tina's arm and let go of her pipe. Immediately, the water's current caught hold of her, the weight of the sea bag dragged at her but she refused to give in. Calling on every ounce of strength, she pulled herself forward, towards Tina's position. Together they worked to make their way into the near full elevator and bracing their legs against the metal sides of the box they began working at knocking out the top of the small compartment lest it become their coffin.

Each could feel her fingers being torn to shreds against the unforgiving metal atop the ceiling as they blindly pried the escape hatch open yet neither gave it any thought. After a brief struggle, they managed to pop the hatch open and helped one another through.

"So- so what now?" Tina asked, her teeth audibly chattering as she relieved Stella of the sodden kitten and helped her readjust the sea bag on her quaking shoulders both of them suffering from the temperature of the water that was now flowing freely out the top of the elevator as it began to flood the shaft.

"Now we climb the cables to the garage. You're gonna have ta open the doors again at- at tha – at tha top," Stella replied. "Can you do it?"

Tina nodded although she knew Stella couldn't see her. "I can but we gotta climb quick. Tha water is comin' up fasta an' it's so cold I can feel myself startin' ta slow down," she admitted.

"Then let's fucking climb!" Stella nearly screamed as she felt the water began to climb her numb legs even faster than before.

Without any more words exchanged, they both grabbed a hold of the cables leading to the surface and began to climb for their lives as the freezing water rushed upwards unchecked. As soon as she reached the doors, Tina began working at prying them open while Stella held on with everything she was worth. Her strength was entirely spent and she had lost all feeling in most of her extremities. It was only sheer willpower that was allowing her to hold.

"I got it!" Tina shouted joyously as weak sunlight filled the small space just as the water surged up over Stella's head and she disappeared into the darkness.

Wide eyed, Tina could only stare at the vacant space for a moment before she dove back into the water and began to franticly feel around for Stella. Even with the impressive lung capacity that came with being a turtle, she was nearly out of oxygen when her foot hit some sort of fabric. Feeling blindly around, she realized that it was Stella's sea bag and that Stella was still attached. Struggling mightily, she clawed her way back up to the surface.

Breaking the surface she managed to drag herself and Stella onto the soaking cement of the warehouse floor where the water was flowing freely. Yanking the sodden pack from the small human's shoulders, Tina just managed to pull them all to safety as Stella began to vomit up water.

"Oh thank fuck," Tina moaned before she passed out entirely, her body entering a state of torpor as her cold-blooded system began to enter a hybernative state.

After vomiting spectacularly for a few minutes, Stella's eyes fluttered open and she groggily took in her surroundings. Somehow she and Tina had managed to make it to the surface but they were still in danger. Now, rather than worrying about drowning, they and the eggs, were in very real danger of freezing to death. Struggling to her knees, she began crawling towards the hidden cabinet that held the keys to her family's vehicles.

Praying that it still ran, she pulled down the keys to her own car before unsteadily climbing to her feet. Stumbling, she fell to her knees several times before she managed to unlock and open the doors to the small black car. Looking around she spotted the sea bag and Artie's half drowned kitten floating nearby and snagged them. With a mighty heave and a prayer for the health of her future nieces or nephews, she stowed it in the front seat of the vehicle before turning her attention back to Tina.

The large turtle was passed out, plastron down, in a rapidly growing puddle as the water continued to spill out of the elevator unchecked. Reaching down Stella slapped at Tina's face until her eyes fluttered open slightly. All Tina could manage was a weak groan but as Stella began to pull insistently at her arm, she complied and began to crawl toward the open door of the car. With no small amount of effort, Tina was secured in the backseat leaving Stella to drag herself into the driver's seat.

Squinting, Stella fought to get the key into the ignition. With a welcome purr, the engine turned on smoothly. She was temped just to turn on the heat and wait for help but knowing her family's luck, she decided it was best to get as far away from the freezing water as possible.

Shifting the car into drive, Stella drove right through the door to the garage before skidding out onto the ice of the roadway. It was midway but the flooding in the area had shut down the roads leaving Stella alone on the roadway. Robotically she navigated the streets to her apartment not thinking about anything other than getting somewhere safe, somewhere warm. Feeling like leaden weights, her eyelids kept sliding shut but still a violently shivering Stella fought on, determined to make it home.

With a jolt she threw the car into park once she reached the door outside of her shop. Not stopping for even an instant she stumbled out of the car, swaying drunkenly on the sidewalk as she stumbled toward her front door. Searching through her jean pockets she managed to find her house key and slid it into the lock.

Throwing the door open she didn't allow herself even a moment to enjoy the warmth before turning back around and stumbling back towards the car to retrieve her precious cargo. Grabbing the sea bag from the front seat, she dragged it into the foyer before returning for Tina. Not caring if anyone saw, she pulled the large mutant turtle out of her backseat and into the building. After depositing Tina inside, she turned and pulled the large wooden door shut behind her before returning to her task.

Tina appeared to be breathing steadily so Stella hoisted the bag back onto her back and began to trudge up the stairs, one at a time. Stumbling every few steps she fought on, determined to save Donny's babies.

In his half awake state, Michelangelo had forgotten to close the apartment door and Stella dragged herself inside. Casting around, she found Mikey's nest of blankets and pulled herself over towards it. With shaking, bloody fingers, she struggled to open the sea bag and withdraw its precious contents. As carefully as she was able, she withdrew the two large, amazingly unhurt eggs from their protective casing and wrapped them in as many dry blankets as she was able until she was satisfied that they were safe. Only time would tell if they had survived their time in the freezing water.

Turning her haggard gaze back out the open door she began her trek back downstairs to retrieve Tina. Much the same way as she had earlier, Stella slung Tina over her back and half carried, half dragged her up the four flights of stairs. Once they reached the safety of the warm apartment Stella dragged the large terrapin over to the makeshift nest and managed to cover her in a blanket before she also lost consciousness.

Several miles away, the rest of the turtles climbed unsteadily out of the sewers into an abandoned alleyway.

"Everyone okay?" Leo asked as he surveyed his family. After receiving six affirmative nods, he turned to Donatello. "Donny tell me that flood didn't-," he swallowed thickly unable to finish.

While on patrol, the sensors had registered the swift approach of the water and the turtles had had just enough warning to escape to higher tunnels before the water had come crashing through the tunnels below. They had no idea what had caused the sudden flooding but there was no question that it was the worst they had ever seen.

Looking paler than normal, Donatello met Hera's worried eyes before he turned them back towards the small device in his palm. "LH's den escaped most of it, he and Master Splinter should be fine but the uh- the," he let out a sob and was unable to finish.

Reaching down Demi gently removed the device from Donatello's hand. "The lair was a direct hit. All of the sensors were knocked out it's- it's completely submerged." She finished explaining in a whisper. Donatello let out another sob before falling to his knees, Hera dropping down beside him as they clutched blindly at one another.

Shocked the rest of their family could only stand by in stunned silence as the two parents clung to one another, certain that they had just lost their children. With a roar, Raphael let out a guttural scream before turning on his heel and launching himself up the nearest fire escape and onto the rooftops. He refused to believe that Stella or Tina could be snuffed out so easily. They were fighters that was part of why they had been left behind in the first place.

As soon as he hit the roof he began sprinting, pushing himself with everything he had as he pushed himself harder than he ever had before. Had he looked back he would have found that his older brother was right on his heels as they both raced single mindedly towards the warehouse.

Nearly flying, Raphael leapt from a nearby building, just catching himself at the last possible moment on a fire escape before dropping to the ground and sprinting towards the garage door. Seeing the door missing entirely he skidded to a halt causing Leo to smack into the back of his shell sending both of them flying face first into the ankle deep water pouring from the open elevator shaft in the back corner of the warehouse.

"Tha-tha," Raphael sputtered as he wildly looked around at the damage and noted the missing car.

"The car's missing," Leo supplied finishing his brother's sentence. "Someone made it out, oh god someone made it out."

"Well, where tha fuck are they?" Raphael demanded frantically his eyes fixated on the stream of dark water still spurting out of the open elevator shaft. "Ya don' think- maybe only one…" he trailed off.

"No," Leo shook his head, "no," he repeated even more forcefully as much for his own peace of mind as anything. "If one made it out they- they both did."

"I- we- we gotta find them," Raphael declared suddenly as he dashed over toward the open key cabinet and grabbed the keys to his bike before tossing a second set to Leo. "Where would they go?"

"April's?" Leo suggested as he grabbed a helmet and hopped onto Stella's old bike while Raphael slung his long leg over his own bike.

"You check Ape's, I'm gonna head ta tha apartment. It's closer an' if Stella's the one who," he swallowed thickly unable to voice the rest of his thought. "I'm jus- I'm gonna check there."

"Raph!" Leo's voice suddenly called out over the roar of the motorcycles. "Raph get out here!"

Worried, Raphael jumped off his bike and ran toward the sound of his older brother's voice. "What? Did ya find somethin'?"

"Tracks," Leo pointed out as he gestured to the skid marks Stella's car had left on the ice. "Looks like they're headed in the direction of the store. April's place is the other direction."

"Well," Raphael shouted running back for his bike, "whadda' we still hangin' 'round here for? Let's go!"

As his bike roared to life, Raphael couldn't help but glance back once more at the dark water gushing out of the darkness before turning his focus back toward reaching Stella's apartment as quickly as possible.

Navigating the icy streets was tricky on the motorcycles but both turtles managed to reach Stella's store without incident. As soon as they got close enough they saw Stella's car parked haphazardly half on the sidewalk and half still in the road, doors wide open and keys still in the ignition.

Jumping off their bikes they paid no heed to the pieces of machinery as they crashed onto the pavement while they rushed forward, afraid of what they might find. Peering inside the only clues they found were soaking wet seats and a small bundle of fur which turned out to be Artie's nearly frozen kitten curled up in a tight ball in the front seat.

Grabbing the bedraggled looking animal, Leonardo clutched it to his plastron before following Raphael towards the wooden front door.

Reaching out, Raphael was relieved to find the door unlocked meaning someone had made it inside. With a sense of trepidation, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. The blast of warmth that met him was immediate but he took no notice as he noted the large puddle that had formed in the foyer. Taking the stairs two and three at a time, he raced up the several flights of stairs stopping briefly on each floor to search for any signs of life before continuing on.

After what seemed like a lifetime, he reached the open door on the top floor and upon entering fell to his knees. In front of him Tina as well as both of Don and Hera's eggs lay wrapped in a large pile of blankets.

"Oh god Tina," Leonardo breathed out relieved as he pushed past his brother and rushed to his wife's side. She appeared battered and unconscious but alive. "But if she's here where's…" he trailed off. Fearing the worst but hoping for the best his blue gaze scanned the small apartment for any sign of his younger sister. "Raph, over there, behind the couch!" He pointed out suddenly.

Not needing any further instruction, Raphael leapt into action, dashing toward the prone form behind the couch. The sight that met him was not a good one. Stella was splayed out face down on the floor. She appeared even more badly beaten than Tina and she was still dressed in her soaking wet clothing with no blanket to cover her. It appeared she had been the last one to pass out.

Rolling her over, Raphael had to brush her tangled wet locks out of her face to check her breathing. With a small sigh of relief he discovered that she was breathing though it seemed somewhat strained and her heart rate was definitely slow. Her color was also all wrong. After spending so much time in the sun she had been a nice tan but now she appeared ghostly and her lips had a definite blue tinge to them. "Leo," Raphael called out shakily as he lifted her gently from the floor and cradled her in his arms, her extremities flopping around lifelessly. "Leo we got a problem."

Jumping up, Leo rushed to his red clad younger brother's side and assessed his sister's condition. "Hypothermia," he declared suddenly. "Raph we've got to warm her up now before her internal organs begin to shut down. Get her- get her into the shower. I'll call Donny and let him know the eggs are here. He and Demi will be able to take it from there once they get here," he place a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder, "they'll know what to do."

Not wanting to waste any more time," Raphael rushed into the small bathroom and turned on the water as hot as it would go. Not bothering to undress her or remove his weapons, Raphael stepped directly into the stream of warm water still cradling Stella in his arms.

As he stood beneath the pounding water, he stared into her pallid face. Only one other time had she ever looked so bad and it was not something he liked to remember. Stella might think that Raphael had never come to her after the explosion in the warehouse but the truth was he had been the one who had carried her near dead body back to the lair. He had stood by her as Donatello had worked to revive her, afraid that she would slip away at any moment and blaming himself for every second of her pain. It was the real reason he hadn't been waiting for her when she had awoken, he hadn't been able to face the guilt as he blamed himself entirely for her brush with death.

Leaning forward he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, thankful that somehow she had not only made it out of the lair alive, she had somehow managed to also bring not only Tina and Donny's eggs with her, she had also saved the cat. He might not know exactly what had happened but he would put money on her somehow saving them all.

"Raphael?" Demi's voice called through the bathroom as she stuck her head through the doorway shortly after she arrived with the rest of the family. Donatello and Hera's attention had understandably been immediately focused on checking on the health of their two unhatched children while Mikey and Artie worked to warm up the small kitten and Leonardo continued to tend to Tina's needs leaving Demi to help Raphael care for Stella.

"In here," he replied as he shifted Stella around in his arms and opened the shower curtain.

The shy turtle stuck her head into the shower for a closer look at the unconscious human woman. "Oh wow she looks bad." Glancing up she noticed the tortured look on the larger turtle's face. "Uh- um not like bad unfixable just you know- not good- I…" she trailed off. "We need to get these clothes off of her and warm her up. Can you help me strip her or should I maybe get Hera in here to-"

"No I got it," he grunted as with Demi's help he propped Stella up and began removing her soaking wet clothing.

"Geeze what happened to her?" Demi breathed as she examined the many gashes and blooming bruises that seemed to cover every inch of the small woman. "Just look at her hands, they're a mess," she pointed out as she began to vigorously rub some life back into the still slightly blue looking extremities. "Tina's the same though she's gone into a hibernative state rather than suffering from hypothermia, comes from being a turtle," she added.

"She gonna be okay?" Raph asked as he too began trying to get the blood moving through Stella's now bare feet.

Demi furrowed her brow before answering. "I think so, if we can get her warm. Let's get her out of the shower and into her bed. We're going to have to swaddle her in blankets and it would probably be best if one of us tries to warm her with our own body heat but she's going to need to remain undressed. I guess I could-"

"I'll do it," he volunteered quickly. "They probably need ya out there workin' on Tina and checkin' on the babies so I'll do it."

"Are you sure?" Demi asked surprised. "Artie's here I'm sure she would-"

He cut her off. "I said I'll do it," he nearly growled as he reached out to shut off the water. "Now help me dry 'er off an let's get her inta them blankets before somethin' else happens."

Confused by his behavior but not wanting to argue with the historically hotheaded turtle, Demi worked to towel off the battered woman before wrapping her in a clean towel and helping Raphael carry her into the bedroom. Throwing off the covers she watched as he gently laid the small human down in the center of the bed before climbing in next to her and gathering her tenderly into his arms.

"Alright, wrap us up," he directed as he pulled her more tightly against his plastron while trying to be mindful of her myriad of injuries.

Demi deftly complied, tucking as many blankets as she could find around the pair before she finally stepped back, satisfied with her work. "Alright, you're going to need to keep a close eye on her," she directed. "If you notice any change in her breathing pattern or her heart rate at all call me immediately."

"Gotcha," Raphael nodded.

"I'll just be in the other room," she added to which Raphael nodded again but made no comment as he buried his face into Stella's wet hair.


	24. Chapter 24

Stella felt as though her eyelids were made of lead as she returned to consciousness. She was confused by the darkness as her surroundings came slowly into focus. The last thing she remembered clearly was water, lots and lots of water after that things got a bit hazy.

As she scanned her surroundings, she was surprised to discover that she was apparently tucked into her own bed which meant that someone must have found her and brought her to safety but there were still a number of unanswered questions. The first of which had to do with the weight on her torso the second had to do with her lack of clothing.

Glancing down, she furrowed her brow when she realized there was a very bald, very green head resting heavily on her chest which, she supposed would explain the weight on her chest. She didn't need to be a genius to figure out that the head in question belonged to a very unconscious Raphael although that in itself brought up a slew of new questions.

Fidgeting slightly under the heavy turtle, she found she was pinned in place not only by the red banded turtle but also by an astonishing number of blankets. Also, her body felt as though she had been run over by a freight train.

Wincing slightly in pain, she wriggled her arm free of the blankets holding her down and reaching up, she began running her fingers lightly over Raphael's head before trailing down and tenderly tracing his facial features. She had always loved catching him sleeping as no matter how much time passed she was always reminded of the young boy who had brought her home.

As her fingertips danced lightly across the sleeping turtle's collarbone, he grunted and shifted slightly against her bringing a small smile to her face and encouraging her to repeat the motion. "Raph," she whispered, her voice sounding a bit rougher than normal while she toyed with the tails of his mask, "Raphie."

"Ugh," he groaned as he wrapped his arms more tightly around her.

"Ow," she hissed and whined pitifully as he accidentally squeezed something particularly sore.

"Oh shit!" he swore, suddenly loosening his grip and jerking back in surprise and staring up at her face. "Stel, you're awake!" he shouted. "I mean, Stel, you're awake," he amended in a much quieter voice.

"So it would seem," she teased with an amused smirk while bringing her hand back up to trace over his face.

He leaned into her touch, allowing his eyes to close for a brief moment. "How're ya feelin'? Are ya warm enough? 'Cause if you're not I could getcha some more blankets." He didn't wait for an answer before rushing on. "Are ya hungry? Mike went shoppin' while you was out so I'm pretty sure I could get ya somethin' ta eat if you're hungry."

She placed her hand over his mouth to stop him from talking. "I'm good," she assured him. "I mean, I kinda feel like I got run over by a cement truck but I'm warm and I'm really not all that hungry right now. I- well actually, what the hell happened?" She asked furrowing her brow.

"You tell me," he replied shifting his weight off of her and repositioning himself so that he was hovering over her. "After we found out tha lair had flooded, me an' Fearless went to tha garage only ta find both your car an' the garage door missin' and water fuckin' spillin' out everywhere. We followed your tracks in the snow back 'ere and found your car out front. Nice parkin' job by the way," he smirked remembering the car parked haphazardly half on the sidewalk and half on the street before his face grew more serious as he regarded the small woman laying beneath him. "Anyway, when we got up here Tina all was wrapped up wit' tha eggs but you was passed out on tha' floor sufferin' from hypothermia. What tha hell happened?"

"Hypothermia huh? I guess that would explain why I'm naked," she remarked offhandedly to herself.

Rather than answer any of his questions, Stella chose to begin asking her own questions instead. "How are they? Are they alright, Tina and the eggs I mean? I don't remember much after getting out of the lair, pretty much all I could think about was getting some place safe. Honestly, I don't even remember driving the car, let alone actually getting everyone into the apartment although it must have been me 'cause I'm pretty sure I remember Tina passing out in the garage. It was so fuckin' cold Raph."

Raphael sighed heavily as he began running one three fingered hand through Stella's wild mass of curls. "Always playin' tha hero ain't ya Stel," he sighed pressing his forehead to her own. "You know when I found ya passed out on tha floor like that it was like my heart stopped. I told ya Stel, I'm just not strong enough ta do this without ya," he admitted in a whisper, dropping his eyes.

"Hey, hey," she scolded forcing his eyes up to look at her. "I'm here, I'm fine, we're fine," she assured him. "No need to get so over dramatic, yeesh," she rolled her eyes and grinned up at him.

"You sure?" He asked raising an eye ridge and eyeing her beaten form dubiously.

"I'm positive," she reassured him forcefully. "Now answer my questions. How is everybody else?"

Raphael shifted his weight once again so he was resting more firmly on his forearms while he continued to play with Stella's hair. "Mostly I've just been getting' texts 'cause I've been in 'here wit' you but last I heard Tina's gonna be fine. She's beat ta shit, jus' like you, but you got those blankets on her in time so even though she's still knocked out her temp is back ta where it should be so she should be wakin' up any time if she hasn' already. As for tha eggs," he reached back and rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand. "Honestly, I'm not sure. Don and Demi have been monitoring them closely and it seems like they're aight but there's really no way a knowin' 'til it's time for tha kids ta hatch ya know? We're kinda in uncharted territory 'ere." Stella nodded her head in understanding. "'As for tha cat, well it's downstairs in Mikey's apartment raisin' hell with Klunk last I knew."

Stella's eyebrows shot up at this news. "The cat?" she asked in surprise. "You mean that little ball of fur actually survived? Holy shit," she whistled under her breath, "I thought for sure it was dead. That thing is tough."

"Guess so," he replied with a shrug. "She was half froze when Leo found her curled up in your car but Mike and Artie were able ta bring her round pretty quick."

"Huh, go figure. Well where is everybody now? Wait- is Daddy okay? He didn't get caught in the water did he?"

"He's fine. He's gonna be staying with LH and Demi for now, that's where he was when tha water hit. They got off pretty easy since LH's tunnel is higher than ours, barely flooded at all. Donny an' Hera have taken tha eggs ta April and Casey's apartment to monitor them a bit more closely, an' everyone else is here. Mike and Artie are next door cleanin' out his apartment since it looks like he's gonna be movin' in sooner ratha' than lata', an' Leo moved Tina down into tha dojo since that's where they're gonna be stayin' for a while."

She thought this information over for a few moments while Raphael continued to play with her hair. "So we're alone then," Stella remarked matter-of-factly as she untied his mask and tossed it off the bed into the darkness of their bedroom.

Raphael furrowed his brow momentarily before catching on and grinning devilishly. "We're alone," he repeated with a nod.

"Good," Stella sighed before wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling him back down towards her. With a sigh of relief their lips met although Raphael continued to hold his weight off of her, afraid of agitating her injuries further.

"What are you doing?" she panted after a few minutes, unsatisfied with having him so far away.

"What?" He asked panting just as heavily, both from the intense make out session and from having to support his own weight on his forearms for so long.

"Come here," she demanded tugging on him with little effect.

He shook his head. "Stel, I don't think that's a good idea. You're hurt an' I don' wan' ta crush ya."

She huffed and pouted. "When I woke up you were completely sprawled out on top of me and I was fine," she pointed out. "I don't think anything's broken, I'm just really bruised and it's nothing I can't handle. Besides, I'm not trying to have sex with you, I know I'm not up for that, but I'm pretty sure I can handle making out with you."

He frowned down at her. "Stel-"

She cut off his argument suddenly as she surged up and brought her mouth back up to meet his effectively silencing him.

"I see your point," he rasped out a few minutes later as he allowed her to absorb some more of his weight.

"Ow," she suddenly exclaimed causing him to once again jump back.

"See, see! I told ya this was a bad idea," he hissed while attempting to inspect her for any new injuries.

"No, it's not –" she glanced down before chuckling. "You- Raph are you fucking kidding me?" She laughed, taking him completely off guard. "Are you seriously still wearing your sais? In bed?"

Sheepishly the large turtle looked down at his waist. "Uh yeah, it looks like it."

Stella's grin grew and though she tried she couldn't contain the fit of giggles that exploded out of her. "Hey," he pouted glaring down at her, "I was in emotional distress. I thought you were gonna freeze ta death. 'Scuse me for not undressin' properly before climbin' inta tha bed ta try ta warm your frozen ass up."

Although he meant to sound menacing, Stella continued to laugh harder, tears now streaming freely down her face. "Emotional distress," she wheezed before letting out another peal of laughter and clutching at her sides.

Watching her come apart beneath him, Raphael couldn't help but join in. He did have to admit that citing 'emotional distress' as a reason for forgetting to remove his weapons before climbing into bed sounded rather ridiculous. Once the pair managed to catch their breath, Raphael lay back down beside Stella and pulled her firmly into his side.

"Raphie?"

"Hum?" he replied while running his hand over her collar bone and dragging his fingers downwards.

Stella bit her lip. "Um, aren't you forgetting something?"

"Huh?" He stopped his ministrations and looked up at her perplexed.

"I get it, you're distracted but, your sais," she reminded him as she ran her hands down his plastron and hooked them in the belt still secured around his middle.

Coloring slightly, Raphael once again grinned sheepishly before sitting back up and removing his belt before tossing it aside. "Betta?" he asked while grabbing both of her hands, pinning them above her head and straddling her before once again allowing her to take on some of his body weight.

She sighed in contentment as he bent back down to recapture her lips. "Um hum," she mumbled allowing her eyes to flutter shut.

"I love ya Stel," he breathed sometime later as they lay panting on their sides each allowing their hands to roam freely over the other's body simply enjoying their time alone.

The brunette smiled gently at his admission. "I love you too Raphie," she replied leaning in for another round of kissing. Things began to pick up speed far more quickly this time and before too long they had to force themselves back apart, this time by actually putting some physical space between them.

"This sucks," Raph pouted as he flipped over onto his back and turned his head to look over at Stella who had turned over onto her stomach and had her arms resting under her head.

She nodded. "Agreed. Fuckin' cockblocked by hypothermia and flash flood related injuries, figures."

The large turtle sighed before throwing out a large arm and dragging her closer so that her head rested on his arm while she draped the rest of her body across his plastron. "Might as well get some sleep while we still can before facin' everybody in tha mornin'."

"Speakin' of facing everyone else, what were you an' dad talking 'bout before he left this morning?"

"Huh? Oh that. He jus' wanted ta talk ta me 'bout movin' up here. Apparently Fearless got to 'im before we got there this mornin' and he jus' wanted ta know if it was true. We didn' get ta talk 'bout anythin' else though before it was time for him ta go. Besides, I figured you'd wanna be there when we told 'im 'bout us."

Stella nodded. "Yeah," she agreed, "I do. So was he okay, with you moving up here I mean?"

"Uh, yeah seemed like it. He jus' wanted ta know if it was true mostly. I got tha feelin' that he wasn't really surprised, not like he ever really is. I think he's probably wonderin' why I didn' do it sooner."

"Yeah probably," she agreed. "You know, I'm not really sure why Leo and Don are so shocked. It's not like you, me, an' Mikey really spent a ton of time in the lair after we got this place anyway."

"Well whateva', doesn' much matta' now does it? 'S not like we got anywhere else ta go, not while tha lair is underwata' anyway," he pointed out while running a hand up and down her bare back allowing his fingers to trace her spine.

"True," Stella traced the many scars on his plastron with her finger. "That's gonna be one hell of a clean up," she yawned suddenly exhausted.

"How 'bout you try an' get some sleep eh?" Raphael suggested as his eyes began to grow heavy. "Tomorrow's gonna' suck."

"Um hum," she mumbled her eyelids already falling shut, "night Raphie."

"Night Stel," he replied as he too finally allowed his eyes to fall shut.

When morning came for Stella and Raphael it came early and in the form of their normally beloved younger brother.

"Good morning New York!" Michelangelo crowed throwing open the door to the apartment and rushing excitedly back into the bedroom, eager to check on his sister. Throwing open the door he let out an ungodly screech.

"Oh my god why are you naked?" he screamed loud enough to wake up everyone in the building. "And you!" He pointed at Raphael, "You're naked too! Aaaaahhhhh," he screamed yet again. "My eyes! It burns, it burns!" He covered his eyes and turned to run away only to run head first into the door frame knocking himself to the floor where he continued to scream nonsensically while blood began to flow freely from his nostrils.

"What's all the-" Leonardo rushed into the apartment with his katanas drawn, ready for a fight. Following the screams, he rushed into the room only to come up short at the sight that met him. A very bedraggled, very naked Stella was scrambling to find cover while Raphael struggled to disentangle himself from the sheets having fallen out of bed in surprise when Mikey burst through the door and startled him awake. Meanwhile, Michelangelo had begun rolling around on the floor holding his head and moaning in pain.

Stopping short, Leonardo could do nothing but gape at his younger siblings as his mind struggled to make sense of what he was seeing. "I-I-I," he stuttered before pointing his katana towards Raphael who had just managed to free himself from the blankets and struggling to stand upright. "You!" he shouted in an accusing tone his eyes narrowing dangerously. "What did you do?" He demanded as he took another step into the room.

"What'd I do? Whadda ya mean what'd I do?" Raphael demanded as he flicked his eyes around the room searching for his mask only to find it hanging from the handle of Stella's underwear drawer. Praying that his older brother was unaware of what that particular drawer housed, he snatched the red piece of fabric and tried his best to stare his brother down. "Why do you assume I did somethin' wrong? Mike here's the knuckle head who's throwin' open doors and screamin' like some kinda lunatic."

"Why. Is. She. Naked?" Leo demanded hotly while Stella wrapped herself in a blanked before slapping her hands over her face in embarrassment.

"It's not what you think!" Raphael defended.

"Oh? So you're not currently naked in bed with my equally as naked little sister?"

"Uh ta be fair dude, we're kinda always naked," Mikey pointed out helpfully from where he was sitting on the floor rubbing at the newly formed welt on his forehead with one hand while trying to stem the bleeding with the other.

Both brothers turned their heads toward him in unison. "Shut up Mikey!"

"He does have a point," Stella mumbled under her breath earning her an appreciative look from the orange clad turtle.

"Alright," Raph admitted, "so it is what it looks like but it's not- I mean we weren't-" he stuttered as Leonardo began advancing on him with murder in his eyes. Trying not to take his eyes off of the very angry turtle advancing on him, Raphael began feeling around the floor with his foot for any sign of his belt. "Come on Leo, lemme explain. It's not- I'm not-"

"That," Leo gestured toward Stella with his sword, "is my baby sister!" He roared loudly enough to wake the dead. "You'd better have a damn good explanation, Raphael!" He growled.

"Oh my god this is not happening," Stella moaned burying her crimson face once again in her hands before finally losing her cool. "Leo," she snapped, "back off. Put down the swords and just, god, just fucking leave for a second so I can put some goddamn clothes on will ya?"

Leo shook his head. "No way Stel, not while he's here," he spat while continuing to glare at Raphael as though he were some kind of dangerous animal.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Mikey whined.

"Shut up Mikey!" His brothers and sister shouted cowing him into silence.

"All of you out! Get out!" Stella demanded stomping her foot in frustration and pointing toward the door. Her reaction was so out of character that all three males just gaped at her.

"Did she just…" Raphael trailed off.

"She did," Leo agreed wide eyed. "Fine, I'm leaving but I'll be waiting in the living room and I expect an explanation." He received a pillow to the face before he sheathed his katanas, turned on his heel, reached down and grabbed Michelangelo by the shell, and dragged his youngest brother from the room.

"Stel-" Raphael began.

"I said out!" She shouted screwing up her face and squeezing her eyes closed.

He threw his hands up in the air. "Alright alright, I'm goin'," he assured her, walking around the bed and picking up his discarded belt and weapons before heading out the doorway and pulling the door shut behind him.


	25. Chapter 25

Stella tried to calm her nerves. So two of her three brothers had just seen her naked, no big deal, she rationalized. They had grown up together and due to the number of injuries she had sustained over the years they had seen her in various states of undress numerous times.

She pulled a shirt over her head, hissing as she moved her incredibly sore muscles. She tried to ignore the soreness that seemed to be emanating from every inch of her bruised and battered body and attempted to focus on controlling her breathing.

It was being caught naked in bed with Raph by their brothers that made the entire situation volatile, not to mention incredibly uncomfortable. This was not how she had imagined her family finding out about them, at all. She was just thankful that they hadn't actually been caught in the act because she was fairly certain, based on Leo's reaction, that there would have been a fight, a damn bloody one too.

Biting her lip, she pulled on her favorite pair of jeans before opening the door to the bedroom and stepping out into the hallway. It was quiet, too quiet and she couldn't stop the pit of dread which had settled in her stomach from growing. She felt woefully unprepared for the upcoming talk.

She found it odd that she felt far calmer about discussing her and Raphael's relationship with their father than she did about discussing it with their older brother, probably because she knew Leonardo could be far more pigheaded than their fairly open-minded father.

Squaring her shoulders, she rolled her head around on her neck to work out the kinks and strode purposefully into the living room where she found Leo and Raph on opposite sides of the room glaring daggers at one another while Mikey sat on the couch between the two still clutching at the knot on his forehead.

Rolling her eyes, she walked straight through the middle of the standoff into the small kitchen to retrieve an ice pack from the freezer, well aware that three sets of eyes were watching her every movement.

"Here," she grunted tossing the ice pack to Mikey who caught it deftly with one hand before pressing it to his head with an audible sigh of relief. She leaned against the counter and regarded the three male turtles when the front door was thrown open with a bang and an exhausted looking Tina stomped into the room.

"What tha hell is goin' on up here?" Tina demanded, glowering angrily around the room. "Do any a ya have any idea what kinda day I, well we," she gestured between herself and Stella, "had yesta'day? I'm fuckin' tired as hell and I wake up ta screamin'! What tha fuck is wrong with you?"

"Tina," Leo ground out still refusing to take his eyes off of Raphael, "I'm sorry but he," he gestured to Raphael accusingly, "has just been caught in bed, naked, with my equally naked baby sister! My baby sister!"

Tina gave her husband a disgusted look and shook her head with a huff. "Really Leo? Didn't you tell me last night Stella had hypothermia and that Raphael was staying with her? Kinda makes sense that she wasn't dressed, it's one a tha ways ya treat hypothermia. Anyway aren't we all always kinda naked?" She pointed out.

"Thank you," Michelangelo grumped from his spot on the couch.

Leonardo finally took his eyes off of his red banded brother to gape openly at his wife. "I- well I-" he sputtered.

"You- you what?" She demanded.

"I thought, I mean, I guess I assumed," he looked slightly sheepish as he raised his hand to rub the back of his head.

"That they were fucking?" Tina asked.

"Well to put it crudely-"

Tina shrugged. "If Stella feels at all like I do, there is no way that'd even be a possibility." Leonardo visibly relaxed letting his shoulders fall. "I mean, don't get me wrong," Tina continued smirking evilly and waggling her eye ridges lecherously, "they're totally doing it, but not last night."

The effect was instantaneous. In the blink of an eye Leo's tension level elevated to Defcon One as he once again unsheathed his katanas. "They're what?" He demanded narrowing his blue eyes murderously as he zoned in on Raphael.

At the same time Raphael snapped his gaze toward Stella. "You told her?" He demanded in a strained and disbelieving voice as he instinctively drew his sais and took up a defensive position ready to intercept his brother's rage.

"I didn't tell anybody anything!" Stella defended as she grabbed the nearest weapon which happened to be a poker from the fireplace. "Only Mikey and you were there!" She pointed out as she too sunk into a defensive position ready to intercept Leonardo if need be.

"It's true?" Tina gasped as she surveyed the room's occupants. "I was just fuckin' with ya. Oh this shit is bananas!" She laughed before cringing and clutching at her side. "Stella, I'm fuckin' glad you decided ta come home girl, this is- holy crap. This is way better than watchin' Maury."

"Stella," Leo ground out between clenched teeth, "is this true? Are you and Raphael having," he squeezed his eyes shut as though he were in actual physical pain, "relations?"

"I- uh, um," she stuttered as she watched with morbid fascination as a large vein in her older brother's forehead began to throb. "I-we," she cleared her throat, "what I mean to say is-"

"I'm in fuckin' love with her, a'ight Fearless," Raphael shouted dropping his arms to his sides and relaxing his grip on his sais. "I've loved her my entire goddamn life but I was too stupid to admit I was actually in love with her until she was long gone. So yeah we've been havin' 'relations' so fuckin' what? I love her and she loves me an' I don' give a flyin' fuck how you feel about it. So what's it to ya?"

"What's it to me? What's it to me?" Leo shouted gripping the handles of his katanas so tightly his knuckles had begun to turn white. "She's our sister! You are having sex, with our sister!"

"You know in an effort to promote equality I feel I should point out that Stella here is also having sex with your brother," Tina added from where she was currently leaning casually against the doorframe, obviously getting a kick out of the entire situation.

"Uh to be fair dude and uh dudette," Michelangelo interjected, "you do know Raph and Stel aren't actually related, don't you?" he added from underneath his icepack while he watched the tense standoff with wide blue eyes.

"I don't care," Leo spat. "She," he gestured toward Stella with his sword, "was raised as our sister, blood relation or not, it's just wrong for one of us to," he shivered, "it's just not acceptable."

"You married Tina," Stella pointed out while she continued to hold onto her poker. "She's Raphael, in female form. How is that okay but Raph and I being together isn't?"

Leonardo glared at her. "For your information, since you weren't there," he added making Stella cringe at his accusing tone that reminded her she had not been forgiven for her extended hiatus, "Donatello ran through all of our genetics, and it just so turned out that none of us are actually blood related. Because of that Tina is no more related to me than you are to April and she was never raised as my sister. It would only be weird if I had married Hera instead of Tina. Also- also, sex before marriage." He threw in as an afterthought as though it would help win his disjointed argument.

"I feel like you're missin' the plot here," Stella commented dryly while staring down her blue banded brother and watching him begin to crack under the pressure as his set sense of what was right and wrong waged war with actual facts. "I'm aware that nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong but Leo, you're wrong."

"No I'm not!" Leo defended sounding like he was swiftly approaching hysteria. "Tina wasn't raised as my sister, you were. It's just- it's just different!"

"You know what Leo?" Raphael said. "Honestly, we don't give a flying fuck what you think at this point." He glanced toward Stella who nodded her head in silent agreement.

"I'm sorry ya had ta find out like this, we planned on tellin' everyone after talkin' to Splinta but right now you're just being a fucking prick and I'm sick of your bullshit. I love Stel tha way you love Tina and I shouldn' have ta defend that. You an' Don an' Mike may think a her as your sista' but I've neva' thought a her like that, not really, so what's tha fuckin' problem? Don't we deserve ta find someone or is that only somethin' you an' Don get ta experience since you're tha 'good' ones?"

Leonardo's mouth hung open wordlessly as he stared wildly back and forth between his younger brother and sister. "I-I," he sputtered, dropping his katanas slightly.

"You wanna know what I think?" Tina interrupted.

"Not fuckin' particularly," Raphael muttered darkly.

Ignoring the red banded male, Tina continued. "I think ya'll are fuckin' crazy as shit." She turned to Leonardo who was looking completely lost. "Babe, it's not like they're commitin' incest or nothin' an' since they're both obviously inta one another so I say go fuckin' wild. Life's too goddamn short ta give a shit 'bout what everybody else thinks."

"I-I but I-" Leo continued to sputter as he stared wide eyed at his wife as though she had suddenly told him the moon really was made of green cheese.

"Am goin' ta go out an' bring me back somethin' for the throbbin' in my head?" She suggested with a tone of finality that let everyone know that it was not really a request but a demand. "Good idea babe." She stepped farther into the room and forcibly pried Leonardo's katanas from his hands. She shifted them around so that she could carry them one handed before reaching out and grabbing her husband's hand with her own and giving him a little tug she began leading her out of the apartment. "Keep it down up here would ya?" She said before dragging a reluctant Leo out the door. "My heads poundin' like a goddamn drum. An' call Donny, no doubt Fearless here lost his mind and put him on high alert."

"Uh right, thanks Tina," Stella replied as she watched the pair disappear out the door.

The entire living room was dead silent for a few moments before Stella dropped her poker to the floor, strode forward, grabbed a pillow and began beating Michelangelo mercilessly about the head with it. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" She demanded in a hiss as he squealed while trying to simultaneously repel her attack and keep the ice pack pressed to his head. "Who just bursts into someone's bedroom unannounced like that? Are you three?"

"I blame you," Raphael piped up as he came to stand at the other end of the sofa, his arms crossed over his plastron while he watched the small brunette beat his youngest brother about the head with a pillow. "You're tha one who dropped tha rope he was danglin' from when we was nine and gave him that concussion. Guy hasn't been right in tha head eva' since, I've been sayin' it for years."

"Aaahhh," Michelangelo groaned as Stella continued to whack him about the head. "Look I'm sorry alright, there are some things you just can't unsee and the image of the two of you," he shuddered, "trust me, I'm really, really sorry I barged into your room without knocking. I can say with forty percent certainty that there is a sixty percent chance that will never happen again."

"Raphael glared at the younger turtle. "I'm not likin' them odds Mike."

Michelangelo shrugged and managed to snatch the pillow from Stella's hands. "It's all I've got, at least I'm bein' honest. You've gotta give me credit for that at least."

"I'll take it," Stella sighed. "Now get out before I decide to use you for fukiya practice."

"I'm gone with the wind sis," he cried as he jumped up from the sofa and dashed out the door.

"So that went-," Stella trailed off.

Raphael shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck with his unbandaged hand. "Eh, it coulda gone worse."

Stella nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah he coulda thrown one of his swords, that woulda been worse."

"Fuck 'em," Raph grunted. "He's just gonna have ta get used to it."

Stella sighed, "We really should call Donny before he storms in here too but maybe I should do the majority of the talking," she suggested.

"Probably a good idea," Raphael agreed. "You speak nerd, maybe you can get him ta understand."

"I suppose we may as well tell April and Casey while we're at it, since they're all together. Then I guess we can tell Dad when we see him. You don't think we need ta tell Artie and Demi too do you?"

"Nah, Tina's probably on tha phone with them right now."

"Awesome," Stella said dryly while she began working to pull her hair up into something that resembled an actual hairdo rather than a haystack. She let out a heavy sigh. "We should probably get it over with then and just head over there now."

Raphael furrowed his brow as he scanned her from head to toe. "Are ya sure Stel? Tina's right, you had a rough day yesterday, it's alright if ya wanna go back ta bed for awhile."

She waved him off. "I'm fine. I'm not exactly a fragile flower. I do know how to take a beating."

The large turtle shook his head, not at all liking the thought of her taking a beating although he knew just how skilled she was and that she was right, she was just as tough as any of his brothers. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure. Why don't you text Casey now and let him know we're on our way over so they know to expect us. This," she gestured to the newly formed beehive looking mess of hair atop her head, "is going to require some brushing."


	26. Chapter 26

Stella ran her fingers nervously through her hair as she stared down at her silent younger brother. It wasn't exactly unusual for Donatello to remain silent while he was mulling something over but she couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation.

She and Raphael had just told him that they had entered into an adult relationship with one another and yet Donatello hadn't uttered a peep. He had simply stared at both of them wide eyed as they assured him that they both felt the same way for one another and they weren't entering into this lightly. They had even gone so far as to remind him that they were in no way, shape, or form blood related so they most certainly weren't committing incest and yet he still remained silent.

Stella knew most of her fears stemmed from Leonardo's less than positive reaction toward their relationship only an hour or so before but even still the silence wasn't helping her nerves any.

"You uh, you got anythin' ta say bro?" Raphael prodded glancing bewilderedly at Stella who only shrugged her shoulders in response. "'Cause if ya do, ya know, now's tha time ta say it. Kinda one a them, speak now or foreva' hold your peace sorta deals."

Donatello shook his head mutely while furrowing his brow and gazing at his siblings with an unreadable expressions. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he opened his mouth only to close it again as he continued to stare.

"Ya don' think he's in shock?" Raphael whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

Stella rolled her eyes. "No," she replied. "He just looks like he does whenever he's trying to figure out some sort of complicated problem. Usually he stays really quiet for a while then all of a sudden when you're least-"

"I knew there was something going on between the two of you," Donatello said suddenly. "Granted, I thought I would be the first to figure it out rather than the last but I still knew." He jerked his gaze up to meet first Stella's then Raphael's own gazes. "It all makes sense, the brooding, the mood swings, the heavy sighing. Classic, just classic, I can't believe I missed this."

"Eh what's classic brainiac?" Raphael asked gruffly crossing his arms over his plastron.

"The fact that you've been pining away over Stella for years. It's so obvious yet somehow I missed it. I suppose, deep down, I always knew you loved her differently than the rest of us did but I never gave it much thought, even after she had left. I suppose I considered it briefly but then after you had sex with Artemis…" he trailed off suddenly, looking at his second oldest brother with wide eyed terror, obviously afraid he had said something he shouldn't have.

Stella bit her lip and reached forward to put her hand comfortingly on the brainy turtle's shoulder. "It's okay Donny, Raph told me all about it. I mean not ALL about it but you know, about it."

Donatello blinked furiously, apparently surprised by this new development. "And you're not mad?" He asked, a distinct tone of disbelief coloring his voice.

"I'm not happy about it," Stella answered glancing over at Raphael and giving him a small reassuring grin, "but no, I'm really not mad about it. It's not like he was cheating on me or anything we weren't together, hell he didn't even know I felt the same way I did about him. Besides, he didn't know where I was or even if I was ever coming back so to answer your question no, I'm not mad."

Raphael shifted uncomfortably. "So otha' than 'I shoulda figured this out foreva' ago', you got anythin' else ta say 'bout me an' Stel bein' togetha'? Anythin' useful I mean?" Raphael asked eager for this conversation to be over with.

"You love her?" Donatello asked nodding toward Stella.

"Do I have ta tell ya again? Yeah I love her."

"And you," he turned to Stella, "you love him?"

Stella's smile grew impossibly wider as she looked over at the red banded turtle. "Is the answer to the ultimate question 42?"

"Alright then," Donatello clapped his hands together as though the matter were completely settled, "that's all I needed to hear."

Raphael creased his brow. "I don' know what that means," he admitted. "I know you're speakin' English but you're usin' numbers and asking weird questions and I'm startin' ta think this is some sorta', geek thing. Was that a yes or a no?"

"It was a yes meathead," Donny laughed as he rose to his feet. "I'm not going to lie and say I'm particularly thrilled to hear that two people I most certainly think of as my older brother and sister are in fact sleeping together but knowing that it's more than just a good time and actually means something to the both of you makes it easier. Besides, Stella almost died to protect my children, I can't really begrudge her anything right now can I?"

Stella blushed faintly as Raphael wrapped his arm gently around her shoulders, mindful of her various injuries from the day before. "So tha kids are gonna be alright then?"

Donatello's eyes lit up and he smiled widely. "I have run every single test I can possibly think of and they all point to yes. Stella and Tina did a fantastic job keeping them warm and protected. Even though they were surrounded by freezing water wrapping them in blankets and putting them in the watertight sea bag were brilliant ideas. Quite frankly, I'm amazed you had the presence of mind to think of it given how quickly that water had to have risen."

Stella simply shrugged off the praise. "Let's just say it's not the first time I've been on a sinking ship and leave it at that for now."

Both Donatello and Raphael gave her near identical looks of incredulous disbelief and it was apparent that they both were dying to know more but for the time being they respected her request. Leading the way to the door of the small bedroom in which they had been speaking, Donatello turned the small metal knob and led the way into the main hall of Casey and April's modest apartment and towards the living area where Casey and April were anxiously awaiting them. Hera was currently in the small nursery with the eggs while on the phone with one of her sisters, no doubt receiving a colorful play by play of the day's earlier events.

They had all just entered the cozy room when a small cry could be heard coming from Casey and April's bedroom letting them know Shadow had awoken from her nap and was ready to be retrieved from her cradle. "I'll get her," Donny offered when Casey moved to get up. "I need the practice," he joked, "besides I think these two have some news they'd like to share.

"Yeah okay, thanks Don," Casey agreed settling back down on the sofa. "So what's the big news, you two shackin' up or somethin'?" He asked smiling widely at the pair.

"Oh this one is all yours," Stella whispered to Raphael.

Raphael scoffed slightly then shrugged his shoulders. "You got us man. Me an' Stel here are in love wit' one anotha' and have been havin' a secret love affair eva' since I found her livin' on a tropical island in the Caribbean. We're plannin' on livin' in sin up in tha ol' apartment and we're havin' ta tell everyone about it today 'cause this mornin' Mikey burst in and found us naked in bed togetha' and Leo almost turned my ass into a shish kabob and we wasn' even bangin'."

April stared wide mouthed at a less than amused looking Stella and an unreadable Raphael while Casey laughed so hard tears came to his eyes. "Okay, okay, I deserved that," he choked wiping the moisture from his eyes and fighting to control the laughter that threatened to overtake him again at any moment. "That's a good one man now seriously, what's up? Somethin' big goin' down that me an' Ape need ta know about?"

"Raphael just told you," Stella replied while giving Raphael a dark look, she was not thrilled that he had included some of the more colorful details, "in seriously the douchiest way possible. Seriously, who raised you?" She demanded continuing to glare at the large turtle, "Because you are twisted, seriously twisted. Dad would murder you if he heard you say something like that."

Casey looked completely confused as he regarded the small brunette and the large turtle currently standing in his living room trying to get him to believe they were having some sort of love affair. "But aren't you guys like related?" Was all he managed to ask.

"Oh my god, this is not my life," Stella threw her hands up in the air with disgust.

"Dude, Case," Raphael said, "you do realize that Stel is a human and I'm a fuckin' mutant turtle right? We're not fuckin' related, not even a little bit. Seriously Stel," he turned toward Stella who was still shaking her head in stunned disbelief, "how is nobody gettin' this?"

"Don't ask me," she replied sounding utterly exasperated, "I don't even know what to do with my hands right now."

"You and Stella are together?" April asked quietly alerting everyone to her continued presence.

Raphael nodded in response. "Thank god!" The red head cried jumping up and rushing forward to wrap both of them in warm hugs. "I couldn't take it anymore. Watching the two of you dance around your feelings for one another since you were teenagers has been painful. When you both turned up at Christmas all I could think about was that if you didn't sort yourselves out soon I was going to do it for you. No more of this moody storming off to other countries for indeterminate amounts of time because you're chalk full of angst and unrequited love nonsense. Aaaaah!" she shouted suddenly, "I'm so happy!"

"So wait you and her," Casey said. "Like you actually got her?" His tone rang of utter disbelief.

Raphael nodded and crossed his arms. "Yeah. Why?" He asked suspiciously.

"Dude," Casey hissed lowering his voice and leaning toward his best friend while his wife continued to gush about how relieved she was to hear about Stella and Raphael's new relationship status. "Stella is hot, way hot, like way, way hot. Not that she wasn't good lookin' before she left but dude, these days she's like, smokin' hot."

"First off, I agree," Raphael said holding out his hand for a pound which Casey happily supplied, "and secondly-" he reached forward and smacked the burly man upside the back of his head, "keep your eyes on your wife and don' be lookin' at my girl like that."

"Alright, alright, geeze I'm sorry," Casey rubbed the back of his head and brushed the hair from his face. "So, you uh told your ol' man yet?"

"You mean Splinta'? Raphael asked, "Uh no, not yet. Me an' Stel were plannin' on tellin' him first thing yesta'day mornin' afta' practice but you know," he shrugged, "shit neva' goes tha way we want it to so we haven' gotten ta talk ta him yet. Pretty sure she's gonna wanna go down ta LH's place afta this and get that chat ova' with though."

"Good luck bro," Casey said, "you may need it. Splinter is a chill dude but the two a you together? I don't know."

"You're tellin' me," Raphael replied earnestly. "Kinda' can' wait ta get it ova' with though ya know? Just get this shit out there an' get on wit' our lives."

"So, whadda ya waitin' around here for?" Casey asked. "You should get down there before one a your bros does."

Raphael looked at his friend and nodded. "You're right man. Hey Stel," he called, interrupting April, "you ready? We should head down ta LH's place before Fearless gets lose an' breaks tha news. You know how much he loves ta tattle."

Stella nodded her head. "He does," she told April. "Ever since we were kids he's gotten a kick out of telling on any of us whenever we do anything he doesn't like and he is not happy right now."

After April and Stella make tentative plans to meet for lunch later in the week, Raphael and Stella grabbed their jackets and helmets and headed out the door in order to meet with their father.

They had just left the apartment building when Stella suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. "Shit," Stella cursed under her breath. "I completely forgot. I need to make a…" she trailed off and her eyes grew wide. "My phone," she muttered under her breath as she began pat her pockets madly, "oh my fucking god it's gone. I must have lost it in the flood. Shit, shit, shit!" She all but screamed.

"Stel it's no big deal, shit like that happens ta me an' Mikey all tha time. Don'll make ya anotha' phone no problem," Raphael assured her through his helmet as he patted the back of his motorcycle and urged her to climb on.

"It's not just the phone," she snapped breathing heavily and pulling on her own helmet, "I need the contacts it's my only link to – my laptop, maybe I saved it on the laptop!" She threw her leg over the motorcycle and wrapped her small arms around his much larger form as best she could. "We need to get back to the apartment before we go see Dad, this is really important."

Raphael's frown was hidden by his helmet but he obliged her request and turned the motorcycle toward the apartment so that Stella could take care of whatever was so urgent that it apparently couldn't wait until after they had spoken to their father.

As soon as they pulled up to the curb outside their building Stella was off like a woman possessed. By the time he had parked the bike and climbed the many stairs leading to the small apartment, Raphael found her sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop open typing furiously away at the small keyboard.

"Stel really, can' this wait until afta' we've talked ta Splinta'?" He asked. "I really wanna do this right and ya know, tell him before Fearless or someone else does," he admitted.

Stella waved him off as she continued to hammer away at the keys. "I have to –yesterday, yesterday I received a call. If I don't –," she trailed off and shook her head, "if I don't take care of it then we're all up shit creek."

"Stel –Stella what're ya talkin' about?" Raphael demanded growing more and more agitated by the second. He had been wound up since the first moment he woke up that morning to Mikey's screaming and now Stella was brushing off something that was really important to him in order to make some mysterious phone call.

"Who was on the otha' end a that phone call yesta'day?" He demanded narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "This don' have nothin' ta do with that flood does it? You ain't in some kinda trouble are ya?"

Stella frowned and glanced up from the bright little screen in front of her. "The flood? Does this have anything to do with the flood?" She repeated before shaking her head and resuming typing. "No, no this has nothing to do with the flood. Just a weird coincidence this is something much –a ha!" She shouted triumphantly. "Gotcha! Raph I need your phone."

Raphael shook his head and crossed his arms stubbornly. "Nah uh. Not until you tell me what's actually goin' on here. Who was on tha phone yesta'day when you left afta' practice? Who're ya tryin' ta call?"

Stella frowned unhappily. "It was," she sighed running a hand through her tousled hair, "it was the secretary for the Saki Corporation. She was calling to set up a uh, like a meeting kinda thing that I'm supposed to attend in a week. It's not something I planned on but –."

Raphael threw up a hand to stop her from talking, a puzzled look on his face. "The Saki Corporation? That sounds familiar." He was silent for a heartbeat before realization dawned on his face. "Tha Foot! You have the fuckin' Foot callin' ya? What the hell Stella?" He shouted incredulously as he began to pace. "When ya said you was workin' against 'em from tha inside I thought ya meant, ya know, like on a computa or some shit, I didn't think ya meant you were actually involved with them on a personal hey how are ya level!"

Stella simply blinked in response and Raphael continued. "Do ya have any idea how dangerous they are? Of course ya do," he said, answering his own question. He rubbed a hand over his head. "Do ya know how lucky ya are not ta have gotten' caught already? If Karai sees ya–," he stopped short when he noticed her shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

He let out a groan and dropped his chin to his chest. "Karai's seen ya hasn' she?" He asked quietly. Stella gave him a crooked, half-hearted grin that didn't reach her eyes in response. "Holy fuck Stel," he groaned. "What're ya thinkin'? Karai knows ya, she's seen ya with us."

"No. No." Stella argued, waving her finger back and forth. "She knows the old me, the masked tomboy with a New York accent. That is who she remembers fighting on the rooftops all those years ago. This," Stella gestured at herself, "is certainly not what she remembers. There's a reason I've changed so many things about myself. How I look, how I dress, how I speak, hell I've even changed the way I walk." She pointed out.

"What're ya doin' for her, eh?" Raphael slammed his hands sown angrily on the table top. "You like her new numba' two or some shit? You workin' for her now, usin' your martial arts for tha enemy?"

"No!" Stella exclaimed. "Karai has absolutely no idea I know any martial arts and anything that do or say that seems even remotely suspicious can totally be explained away as something I picked up from watching television or a basic self-defense class, nothing more. Look, she just thinks I'm some jet setting free spirit with a chip on her shoulder and a whole lotta emotional baggage, which I'll admit, wasn't too hard to fake. Anyway I don't work for her, at all."

"Well if you're not her numba two and you're not workin' for her then what tha fuck are you doin' with her that she knows ya?" He spat, his anger now palpable.

Stella winced in response to the vitriol in his voice. "Look Raph you know the whole keep your friends close and your enemies closer bullshit? Turns out it works pretty fuckin' well. Just, just go with me here," she pleaded seeing him begin to shut down completely, "please Raph, just give me a chance to explain. By gaining her trust I've been able to learn more about the interworking's of the Foot than I ever would have by trying to hack their system or pass myself off as one of them. Like this she feels like she can speak freely, she can bitch and complain all she wants 'cause I don't work for her and in turn I use what I find out against her. She has no idea what kind of damage I've already done to her company."

Raphael shook his head with disgust and glared at her like she was something dirty he had stepped in. "Please don't Raph," she begged, "don't look at me like that," Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm doing this for us, for all of us," she assured him.

"Raph, the better we know what we're up against the better prepared we can be. I've already screwed up her relations with a number of the big backers and if just a few more topple than the entire infrastructure will come tumbling down with it. Without the funding the Saki Corporation provides, all the appeal the Foot holds for the poor kids who join up hoping for a fat paycheck and a so called 'better life' will be gone and tons of their members will book it out of there and quick. Other than a few who actually believe in what the Foot does, most of them are only there for the payday. They'll become such a reduced threat almost overnight that it's almost unreal. It'll take years for them to recover, if they ever do."

"I can' believe ya didn' tell me any a this shit!" He shouted pounding on the table with one large fist causing the computer and Stella to jump.

She shook her head in disagreement. "I told you I was controlling the Foot!" She argued back when he shook his head no. "Yes! Yes I did," she all but shouted. "Weeks ago, back on the boat. I told you I was doing things no one else could to infiltrate and control the Foot. Well, this is how I managed most of it. I created an entirely new persona and used everything I know in order to get into and out of Saki Corp's computers to bring them down."

He reached out and snapped the computer screen shut and glared down at her. "Yeah, ya told me 'bout bringin' down tha Foot but you neva' said nothin' about gettin' cozy with Karai." He pointed out.

"I'm not –I have not gotten 'cozy' with Karai I've just been…" she bit her lip and glanced away from his intense eyes as she considered her next words. "Okay so I've kinda gotten cozy with her but only as cozy as anyone can get with a two headed snake and only because I had to but I didn't have a choice!" she defended. "It was the only way any of this would be possible. If you could just see the bigger picture here than maybe you –"

"How do I know you're not just playin' me?" He demanded. "Maybe all a this," he gestured to the apartment around them, "is just some elaborate scheme a yours to get back at me for what happened between us a few years ago. Maybe you're workin' with Karai now ta bring us down huh? Maybe you're so mad at me that you've decided ta bring down this whole family by handin' us over ta Karai on a silva' platta'. Is that it? You playin' us, is that why ya been lyin' ta me since tha beginnin'?"

Stella jumped angrily to her feet, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Don't you dare Raphael! Don't you dare accuse me of being disloyal to this family! I meant to tell you everything, I did. I just put it off and I shouldn't have, I know I shouldn't have. But I would never, never turn any of you over to Karai! I love you, you idiot! There is nothing in the world I wouldn't do if I though it meant keeping you and everyone else safe so don't you dare turn this," she gestured between the two of them, "into something ugly!"

"You don' want me ta turn this inta somethin' ugly?" He scoffed. "I hate ta be the one ta break it to ya princess but this, is all your fault. How's that for a change, huh? This time you ain't got no one ta blame but yourself. "

"Raph," she pleaded, all of the fight suddenly going out of her, "if you just stop and listen to me for one second. You have to believe me. I love you. Okay? I wouldn't be here if I didn't. Everything I did –it was so you could have a better life, so that we all could."

"Ya know, maybe it's a good thing we haven' talked ta Masta' Splinta yet," he muttered looking anywhere but at Stella. "I don' think his heart could take it."

"What?" she whispered in wounded disbelief as she sank heavily back into her chair. "What're you –are you –what're you saying?"

"I'm sayin', I'm not too sure this," he gestured between the two of them, "is gonna work out. I don' wanna be with someone who's a threat ta me an' my family."

She stared at him, her mouth opening and closing silently. "I –you, you think I'm a –you think I'm a threat to this family?" She finally managed to stammer out.

Raphael nodded. "Yeah, yeah that's right. I think you're a threat ta me an' my family an' – an' I think ya should leave. That's right," he nodded resolutely once again, "I want ya ta go. So ya just need ta pack up your shit an' get the fuck out an' leave us, leave me alone. Shouldn' be too hard for ya to do. Runnin' away, it's what you're good at isn't it?"

"Raph," she pleaded holding her hand out, tears now streaming freely down her face. "Don't do this, please don't do this, not after everything."

"It's Raphael," he growled turning his back on her entirely before striding quickly toward the front door and throwing it open with a bang that shook the whole building and left a noticeable dent in the wall. "I suggest ya hop on your little boat and get the fuck out of here before I hunt down you and your new bestie." Without another word he turned and slammed the door shut behind him.

"Fuck!" Stella screamed as she threw her head back and stared up at the ceiling. Angrily she wiped away her tears with her shirt sleeve and scrubbed at her face with both hands trying and failing to get her emotions under control.

A loud sob ripped through her when she heard the sound of a motorcycle revving outside before peeling out and fading away in the distance. Shoving herself away from the table she clambered to her feet before staggering toward the bedroom.

With as much shouting as they had just done she knew it was only a matter of time before Mikey or worse Leo butted in and she didn't plan on being around when that happened. Snatching a small overnight bag, she quickly loaded it up with a few necessities before slinging it over her shoulder and heading for the fire escape.

The winter air was biting when she stepped onto the frozen metal but she hardly noticed as she pulled the window behind her closed with a snap. Inhaling deeply she tried to calm herself down somewhat. She felt utterly hollow inside and unfortunately it wasn't a new feeling for her, not at all. Until a few weeks before it was just a part of life she had learned to live with, she had even accepted as a fact of life but since finding out that Raphael felt the same way about her that she did about him –well that hollow feeling had all but disappeared.

Taking a deep breath she began to climb silently down the fire escape. She had no intention of running away from her problems, not again, but she did need to take care of business. Raphael be damned, she had worked too long and too hard to take down the Saki Corporation just to give up now.

As soon as her feet hit the snow covered cement she began walking with her head down toward her destination. First she needed to return Karai's phone call. Then she was headed underground, to Leatherhead's place. Knowing Raphael he was too angry to think straight and was probably out blowing off steam by beating on punks leaving the door to Master Splinter wide open.

Stella planned on going straight to her father and telling him everything about exactly what she had been doing to take down the Foot and about her relationship with Raphael. Even if it seemed to be no more, she loved him too much not to fight for what they had. She knew he was hurt and angry that he hadn't known exactly what she had done but deep down she was certain he loved her just as much as she loved him, no matter what he said.

Raphael had never been one to lie about his emotions and she knew that when he had told her that he loved her that he had meant it, she was counting on it. From the get go she had known she was going to fuck it all up somehow, she just hadn't thought it would be so soon.

She hadn't really meant to keep the details from him but after she had first admitted to working to bring down the Foot it had never really come back up. Even on Christmas, when April asked if she planned on leaving again and she hadn't been able to give her a definitive no, she had meant to talk to him about everything that was going on but instead she had allowed life to get in the way. Raphael was right, it was all her fault. Everything she had done had been with the best of intentions but not coming clean to him right away was, well it was unacceptable.

She let out a heavy sigh, watching as her breath created a large cloud in front of her. Readjusting her bag on her shoulder she waited for a gap in traffic before hurrying across a busy street with a crowd of jaywalkers. Pressed upon on all sides, she allowed herself to be pulled along by the jostling crowd as they veered off to the side and began streaming down a set of steep cement steps into the subway that would take her past a cellphone store and then on, toward Leatherhead's home.


	27. Chapter 27

"Stella, it is good to see you again my old friend," Leatherhead greeted her with a cordial bow as he opened the door wider for her to enter his home. "It has been too long little one."

"Thank you Leatherhead," she replied with a soft smile up at the giant anthropomorphous alligator, "it has indeed been quite some time. I trust that you are well?" She inquired politely as he closed the large metal door behind them and led the way deeper into his home.

Leatherhead bobbed his head in response. "I have been quite well especially now that sweet Demeter has taken up residence here. She certainly adds a new facet to my life that I never anticipated."

"I may have heard mention of your relationship," Stella chuckled.

Leatherhead managed to look slightly abashed. "Would I be correct in assuming that Raphael may have been the one to inform you of the recent change of my relationship status?"

Stella nodded. "You would. I've heard that her presence here has caused quite the stir recently."

Now it was Leatherhead's turn to chuckle. "I should say so though dare I say not nearly as big a stir as your relationship with Raphael seems to have caused amongst your brothers," he nudged her gently.

Stella felt herself coloring slightly. "So you've heard then."

"I have," he replied, "though your father has not. None of your brothers have been by yet today and neither Demi nor I have mentioned it as we imagined you and Raphael would prefer to be the ones to inform him of your new relationship. I assume that is why you've come?"

"Correct again," Stella said. "Is he perhaps around?"

"He is currently resting but should be waking soon. But where is Raphael?" He asked looking around.

"Raph is," she hesitated for a moment unsure of exactly how to explain to her old friend that Raphael was currently most likely off pummeling a group of unsuspecting gangbangers into a pulp while he waited for her to leave the city, "he's currently indisposed."

Leatherhead looked skeptical but was too polite to comment further. "If you would like I would be happy to see if your father has awoken from his rest.

"I would appreciate that, thank you."

"Not at all," he gestured toward a door at the end of the hall. "Perhaps you would like to wait for us in the laboratory.

"I would be happy to, thank you." She replied. The large alligator nodded his large head curtly before retreating down another hallway towards her father's quarters.

As she waited for her father she couldn't help but poke around the large alligator's laboratory. It was so like her brother's own back at the lair that it made her heart ache slightly to think about how much of it would be unsalvageable once the waters receded.

She had been casually perusing until a familiar shape caught her attention. "What the hell?" she muttered under her breath as she moved in for a closer look. Shifting aside a large tarp slightly she inhaled sharply and gave a strong tug on the fabric revealing what she assumed to be a replica of the inter-dimensional transporter that had brought the girls crashing into their lives.

"Mother fucker," she breathed as she admired the work that had obviously gone into recreating the complicated piece of machinery.

"I see you're admiring our work," a shy voice said causing Stella to start slightly. She had been unaware that anyone else had entered the room after her. "It's been several years in the making. I've had most of the tech mapped out for some time but the general build has been a little difficult. I'm decent with machines but my strong suit is really more computer based."

Stella spun around, a slight blush coloring her cheeks at being caught snooping. She offered Demi a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "I was waiting for my dad and this just kinda caught my eye and I couldn't help myself. Did you –?"

Demi nodded her head as she came to stand beside Stella and stare appreciatively at the large machine. "It wasn't just me though, Donatello and Leatherhead have also been very helpful though not quite as," she hesitated for a brief moment and looked down at her feet, "maybe not quite as driven as I have been to see it come to fruition."

Stella furrowed her brow trying to puzzle out this new information. "Really? That seems a bit out of character, for both of them. Usually they're like rabid animals whenever they come across some new tech they can mess with."

Demi scuffed her toe on the cement floor. "I suppose," she sighed, "I suppose they're afraid that if we manage to open the portal to our dimension once again we'll all want to return home leaving them here."

"Gotcha." She cocked her head to the side and studied the shy female turtle. "You know Demi we haven't ever actually talked but just watching you with Leatherhead earlier I can tell without a doubt that leaving isn't an option for you, or your sisters, not anymore."

Demi's eyes opened wide and her head shot up in surprise. "You can tell that?" She sounded shocked. "How can you sound so certain? We've been trying to tell Leatherhead and your brothers that for years now and I'm still not certain they believe us. I mean they say they do but I can still see the doubt in their eyes from time to time."

Stella rolled her eyes and gestured up and down her body. "Girl," she said as thought it should explain everything.

A small smile formed on Demi's face as she studied the small human woman standing before her. "I suppose that could do it," she said, "although I admit I am slightly surprised. I've always heard that you were like another Raphael I suppose I just expected you to be…" she trailed off biting her lower lip uncertainly as though she had said too much.

"A hard headed asshat who can't see the forest for the trees?" Stella suggested and Demi nodded shyly. "Nah,. Raph and I have many things in common but we are not the same person. And what I just said, about him being a hard headed asshat who can't see the forest for the trees, that's completely true but at the same time he's far more observant and much smarter than he lets on. In fact," she turned her head back toward the large machine, "he's a much better mechanic than either LH or Donnie. If you had worked with him on the build and left the tech to them you probably would have finished this much sooner."

"Really, I never knew," Demi replied. "Well I will have to remember that for future products. As it is this is finished, or it should be," she let out a heavy sigh. "Something is just not working correctly and I just can't seem to put my finger on what it is."

"Why?" Stella asked.

"Why can't I figure it out?" Demi looked confused.

Stella shook her head. "No, why do you want it to work if you don't plan on using it to go back? Why go through the trouble of building it?"

"Oh," the turtle stared silently at the machine for a moment. "You know that our dimension is essentially a reflection of this one with a few –well, gender differences among others," she stared pointedly at Stella and Stella knew she was referring to the unexplained absence of a male version of herself in their lives. Stella nodded. "Well we –my sisters and I –have discussed it and we'd like to try to bring our mother through the portal."

It was Stella's turn to look startled. "Your –your mother?" she sputtered. "You –you have a mother? Like a –," she gulped slightly, "like a mom?" She whispered as a seed of jealousy began to sprout in her stomach. She loved her father dearly but she had always wondered what it would be like to have a mother, a real mother.

Demi looked at her as though she were seriously concerned about Stella's mental health. "Yes," she said slowly, "the boys have a father which means we-."

"Have a mother," Stella quietly finished for her. She shook herself and offered Demi a crooked grin. "Sorry I just never –it just never occurred to me that you guys had a mom you left behind. Stupid really, that it's only just now dawned on me I guess I was just focused on, other things."

"Oh right," Demi agreed although she was still eyeing Stella skeptically. "Anyhow it doesn't seem to matter right now since it's not actually working."

Stella looked down at the watch on her arm and sighed internally. Apparently her father was either exhausted or he had taken to taking longer naps than she remembered. "You know Demi, I'm no Donatello and I'm not nearly as good with machines as Raphael is but maybe a pair of fresh eyes could help?" she offered.

Demi brightened considerably glad to have someone other than Don or Leatherhead take interest in her work. "I would love that!" She replied happily. All traces of her earlier shyness gone, she closed the gap and took Stella by the arm and led her over toward the control panel of the large device while she began to babble about everything that made interdimensional travel possible.

Stella tried to keep up but soon found herself far out of her depth as Demi began to happily chat on and on about quantum mechanics and experimental physics while typing away on the control panel in order to show Stella what sort of error messages she had been encountering each time she tried powering on the device. Tuning out slightly Stella's eyes danced across the physical body of the contraption before landing on a small panel on the inside of the device which appeared to be slightly askew.

"Hey Demi," she interrupted. "Gimme a Phillips head would you? I think I may have an idea."

"Really? By all means have at it!" Demi gushed handing her the requested tool before turning her attention back to the error message on the large screen in front of her.

Shaking her head at the female turtle's ability to drone on and on about numbers and coding Stella knelt down and began unscrewing the small panel. As soon as it was out of the way she placed the screwdriver on the floor and peered into the small compartment only to discover a pinched wire that had kept the panel from closing completely.

"I think I've got it!" Stella called out over her shoulder as she reached for the offending wire. "There's a pinched wire here. If I straighten it out maybe…" she trailed off.

As soon as she uncrimped the wire the machine whirred to life. Demi gave a small whoop of joy before turning her head and seeing Stella still kneeling by the open panel looking satisfied with her handiwork.

Eyes wide with horror, Demi swung her head back and forth from the computer screen to Stella. "Oh crud! Move Stella, move!" She shouted just as a blast of hot air rushed through the room forcing her to dive for cover behind a nearby cement pillar.

Stella closed her eyes against the sudden blast. When she felt the air around her settle she dared to open her eyes, first one and then the other. Amazed that she wasn't currently wracked in pain or bleeding profusely she patted herself just to be certain she wasn't dreaming or dead.

"Figures," she muttered climbing to her feet and surveying her unfamiliar surroundings. "Try ta help someone and I get sucked into an alternate dimension. I'm having one hell of a week," she muttered darkly to herself.

"What was that?" A voice demanded from outside the doorway of the unfamiliar laboratory she had suddenly found herself in.

For a moment Stella was tempted to hide but thought better of it and decided to stand her ground. She had no idea where she was exactly but Demi had said she had built the device in hopes that she and her sisters could bring their mother over so perhaps she was in Demi's lab and her mother was the one rushing to investigate.

Besides, the room was windowless, well lit, and had only one door. Hiding would be rather hard to do. "Crap," Stella swore as the room was suddenly flooded with armed soldiers all with their guns trained on her, "obviously not Demi's lab."

"Hands above your head!" One of the soldiers commanded and Stella was quick to oblige. She knew it was best not to fight back without knowing what she was up against. Besides, with the way her luck was going lately she might manage to get out of the room but there was no telling what was waiting for her on the other side of that door. There could be an entire army out there for all she knew.

After a few more barked commands, Stella found herself laying face first on the ground with her hands secured behind her. As she was patted down for weapons she was relieved when she realized that she had left her kunai in her satchel which was still back in her dimension. She hoped that being unarmed might help her appear to be a bewildered victim rather than being perceived as an actual threat.

"What is going on in here?" A woman's voice demanded and Stella was hauled to her feet. As the new woman entered the room Stella was glad she had complied so far as she was flanked by a vanguard of soldiers all of whom were armed with high powered assault rifles.

"An intruder ma'am," a soldier near Stella replied.

"Well I can see that," the woman responded coolly as she strode purposely further into the room and come to stand before Stella. "What I want to know is how. Who are you?" She demanded as she circled Stella like a wild animal sizing up her opponent.

The woman was the very definition of harsh. Everything about her appearance was crisp and businesslike. Not a strand of her dark hair was out of place and even her dark brown eyes seemed cold although they were startlingly familiar to Stella somehow although she knew she had never seen this woman before.

"I'm um –I'm Stella, Stella Reed," Stella lied while using her very best woebegone look and lost girl voice.

The woman turned to a nearby soldier. "ID?" She demanded.

"No ma'am," he replied promptly. "There is no form of identification on her person."

"I see," she said. "Stella Reed," the woman snapped coldly. "Well Ms. Reed, tell me, how is it that you have come to find yourself in the middle of my research laboratory?"

Stella bit her lip and continued to look as lost and overwhelmed as possible which admittedly wasn't particularly hard given her current situation. "I have no idea," she answered truthfully. "There was some sort of explosion and when I opened my eyes I was here. I don't –I don't know what's going on."

The woman ignored Stella's question and continued on with her own line of questioning. "You were here," the woman repeated coolly as she continued to circle. "Where exactly were you before this, alleged explosion Ms. Reed?" She demanded.

"Just, I was just in New York," Stella lied. "I was there and then I told you, there was some sort of explosion and when I opened my eyes and I was here. Please, can I go home or at least call someone? I'm really confused."

"There is something very familiar about you Ms. Reed," the woman remarked as she stared into Stella's face with hawk like intensity and Stella couldn't help but feel the same way about the woman studying her although she was positive they had never met.

"You remind me of someone…" she trailed off. "Never mind, bring her to my office. I intend to learn more about our, guest," she commanded the soldiers holding Stella before turning on her heel and striding purposely from the room.

"You heard her," the soldier nearest Stella snapped pushing her forward enough that she stumbled slightly, "let's go. Agent Bishop doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Agent Bishop?" Stella asked as a knot the size of a football formed in her stomach. "As in THE Agent Bishop?" She gulped before realizing her mistake. Stella had never actually met the Agent Bishop from her world but Mikey and the rest of her family had while she was gone and from what her youngest brother had told her she was in a very precarious situation.

Agent Bishop stopped walking suddenly and cocked her head back over her shoulder. "So you've heard of me. Well that promises to make this interview a slight more interesting. Jenkins, take a sample," she commanded.

"A –a sample," Stella stammered as she tried to determine her location exactly in hopes of escaping as soon as an opportunity presented itself. "A sample of what?" She demanded sounding far more nervous than she had intended.

Suddenly she felt a pinch on the back of her neck causing her to gasp. A soldier, Stella assumed his name was Jenkins, had suddenly plunged a small needle into the back of her neck and stepped away a moment later with a small vial of her blood before disappearing into the crowd of soldiers escorting her down the austere hallway she had found herself in as she blindly followed Agent Bishop deeper into the building.

Stumbling along, Stella attempted to mentally map the route they were taken but without any windows or know exits she wasn't sure how much help a mental map was going to be. She was at a severe disadvantage. At least whenever she usually entered a building she knew what lay outside its walls. Granted she had been taken against her will into a number of buildings over the years, part of the hazards of her lifestyle, but being beamed into the middle of some sort of laboratory located god only knows where and in what dimension, was certainly a new experience for her.

Upon reaching Agent Bishop's remarkably well appointed yet sterile office, Stella was none too gently shoved into a chair and had the pleasure of having her hands bound securely behind her to the chair.

As she tested the bonds, she was dismayed to find that she could detect no weaknesses. Her wrists were secured by handcuffs which were uncomfortably tight and they were in turn chained to the metal chair she was seated in. There would be no fancy wiggling around that was going to get her out of this situation.

Deciding the best course of action was to continue to play dumb, Stella allowed the waterworks to begin flowing freely and did her best to remain as unthreatening as possible in hopes that perhaps Agent Bishop had a soft spot for crying women. Somehow she seriously doubted it but it was worth a try.

After a few minutes of mindless questioning about how old she was and what year she had graduated from high school which Stella kept simple by answering as truthfully yet as vaguely as possible by simply stating that she had been homeschooled so possessed no high school diploma, Jenkins reemerged and handed Bishop a small manila file. With a triumphant smirk Bishop flipped the folder open. Stella assumed she was expecting some sort of dossier on her prisoner.

Bishop's smirk melted almost immediately off of her face and was replaced with a look of cold hard fury. "That cannot be," Bishop hissed. "Run it again, run it twice. There must be some mistake. Do it now!"

Whirling around angrily as Jenkins hurried back out of the interrogation room Bishop regarded Stella with her cold, narrowed eyes. "You are lying to me Ms. Reed," she hissed with a sneer causing a shiver to run down Stella's spine and goosebumps to erupt across her skin, "you are lying to me and I hate liars. Do you know what I do to liars Ms. Reed?" She asked and Stella could only stare at her wide-eyed as she could imagine a great many things that this evil woman might do to someone she disliked. "I punish them Ms. Reed. I make them remember why no one lies to me and gets away with it. Now let's try this again. Who are you?"

"St-Stella," she replied, "Stella Reed." A moment later she was backhanded across the face with enough force that her head snapped forcefully to the side.

"Liar!" Bishop seethed the anger evident on her face as she quickly began to lose her composure.

"I'm not –" Stella began to argue back before she was struck again, this time squarely in the gut causing her to double over with a pained grunt.

Bishop shook out her hand and cracked her neck. Some of her wavy brown hair had come loose from the tight bun which had been holding it back and it began to curl around her jaw. The effect would have been pretty had she not been wearing a look of utmost loathing on her face.

"You'll speak only when spoken to." The woman commanded. "Now, who are you working with?" Bishop demanded and when Stella didn't answer she lashed out again, this time driving a powerful punch straight into Stella's jaw.

Stella narrowed her eyes and spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor. This shit was getting real old real fast. "Don't make me ask you again," Agent Bishop warned. "Who are you working with?" Stella merely glared defiantly at the woman, her dark brown eyes locking on the older woman's own for only a moment before she was struck again, her head snapping back so hard that she saw spots before her eyes.

Suddenly the lights were cut and were it not for the painful throbbing in her head Stella would have been certain she had lost consciousness. Still it took her a few seconds to recognize the feeling of someone unlocking her bonds and freeing her from the interrogation chair.

"Come on," a man's voice urged her quietly from behind as the room around her erupted into madness as a cloying smoke began to choke its inhabitants. Stella wasted no time in hopping up from the chair and almost falling to the floor before regaining her sense of balance and making her way toward the direction of the door.

"Pick up your fucking feet and run!" Her rescuer commanded once she had made it out into the darkened hallway and Stella was quick to comply, this could very well be her way out and there was no way in hell she wasn't going to take it.

"Left!" The man commanded from somewhere nearby. "Goddamn it, can't you move any faster?" he snapped. Stella narrowed her eyes angrily but picked up her pace as much as she was able.

"Quick, in here!" Suddenly Stella felt someone grab her by the elbow and pull her through a doorway into another darkened room. "Stay quiet," the stranger directed and although she had a million and one questions she wanted to ask she complied. After a few seconds the sounds of pounding footsteps passed by their doorway and faded into the distance.

"Incompetent idiots," he muttered under his breath almost too low for Stella to hear. "Alright, close your eyes for just a second," he instructed, "I'm going to turn on the light." Wordlessly, Stella complied. She saw a blinding flash behind her eyelids and counted to three before opening her eyes to see her rescuer.


End file.
